


project ajax

by Lesleytonyb



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Blood and Gore, Epic Battles, M/M, Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:28:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 41,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25492354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lesleytonyb/pseuds/Lesleytonyb
Summary: A good friend of mine came to me saying "imagine if planet Vegeta wasn't a planet, but a country, and that country was at war with the Freiza force". And thus this story was born. Vegeta is a good king and wants the best for his people, this is the main reason he started Project Ajax, he had no idea the effect the experiment would have on the war, and more importantly on his son, warrant officer Trunks. this is a war story with a difference, a splash of romance and a lot of Drama. i hope you all enjot it, let me know what you think.A massive thanks to Lord Truhan for giving me the idea for this story, dude you are awesome xlxl
Relationships: Son Goku/Vegeta (Dragon Ball), Trunks Briefs/Son Gohan
Comments: 15
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Warrant officer Trunks held the cold, metal whistle to his trembling lips. Rain pelted down on him, plastering his lavender hair to his face, blurring his vision, soaking through his uniform, and making his impossible task even harder. All he had to do was blow the whistle, why did it seem so difficult? He looked down the line at the faces of the thousand men he was about to condemn to death, how many would make it back this time, 50? 100 if they were lucky. They stare back at him, awaiting his command, not afraid, determination on their hardened faces, all traces of fear hidden deep down inside them. But they had not yet been on this battlefield, they had no idea the horrors that awaited them once they went over the top, when they left the safety of this trench, they were in hell.

This was to be Trunks third time, each time more horrific than the last, he would never get the smell of the rotting corpses from his nose, it was lodged there in the back of his throat festering forever. This time would only be worse. More death, more mud, more madness.

“Good luck men may god be with you,” he shouted his pale blue eyes squinting shut as he blew a sharp toot on the whistle. The bullets started almost instantaneously, shooting down those same men who looked so brave just moments before, leaving them dying in the mud, all that determination lasted them for mere seconds, another life gone, another, another. Trunks knew he had no time to dwell on it, he had to keep moving, shooting, hiding, that is what had kept him alive so far.

He ignored the agonised screams from his men, the grown adults crying in fear, the body parts strewn about like gruesome Halloween decorations. The floor was thick with red stained mud, each step had his black regulation boots sinking deeper and deeper into the sludge, making it almost impossible to move, his only option was to step onto bits of wood or dead soldiers to get better footing. There were no distinguishing marks left in this landscape, the once thick forest had been reduced to a cess pit of death, the odd tree trunk poking sadly out of the maroon slime the only indication that there had ever been life here, the once lush green had long been replaced by brown. The ambiance removed and instead there was a hollow, hate filled place, the only sound being bullets and screams, Trunks hated it.

Again, the smell assaulted his nostrils, the stench of a million dead men, mud, shit, and vomit, it was a concoction that could turn the strongest of stomachs. Bullets hit the floor around him, sending more mud and flesh erupting into the air, spattering his face, he kept moving, kept going forward, that is all he could do. This battle had been taking place for two months now, the same two army’s fighting it out for the same piece of land. The men on the fields were here as nothing more than a distraction now, and a way to keep enemy numbers down. the officers had long ago realised that the Freiza force had the advantage in this area, high up on a ridge there was no way of Saiyan soldiers reaching them, they had the vantage point and the ammo to shoot them down like dogs before they could even get close. So, the Saiyan’s started digging, long underground tunnels that would eventually let their soldiers get behind enemy lines and take them by surprise. But someone still needed to attack from the front, to avoid suspicion, and that was where trunks and his battalion came in. 

He spotted a shell hole just ahead and dived into it, the bottom filled with muddy red water up to his knees, he did not care, at least he was out of the line of fire. He leant against the wall to catch his breath. There was a dead Saiyan in the hole with him, it was sad that this sight didn’t really phase him, he had grown so desensitised to death and gore that it hardly concerned him anymore. he didn’t even see that half the man’s head was missing, and his brains were spilling out onto his shoulder. He didn’t notice the bullet hole through his heart, but he did reach out and take his dog tag and his rank insignia, at least he would have something to give to his poor family.  
Trunks looked up to the sky, bullets whizzed across his vision, like tiny birds of death, leaving their victims almost hopeless. He took a few deep breaths, letting the rancid air fill his lungs in an effort to stop his shaking, if anyone asked he could pass the trembling off as cold, his uniform was soaked through and the rain didn’t relent even for a second, a few good men had lost their toes to the cold and had to be sent home, lucky bastards. He tried to gather his thoughts, but it was barely possible to think in this noise. The constant ratta tatta of machine gun fire, the screams and moans, the occasional earth-shaking boom as a bomb shell hit, it was mind numbing.  
A young boy, maybe 19, flopped into the hole beside him, he curled into a ball in the blood-filled water and held his hands either side of his face, taking in deep breathes and wailing in terror as he exhaled. He was loud.

“Pull yourself together private, making a noise like that will get you shot,” Trunks told him in his sternest voice. He did feel for the kid he really did but there was little point in having a breakdown on the battlefield, that just meant condemning yourself to death, this kid needed to snap out of it if we wanted to make it out of this alive.  
Trunks squatted down next to him, 

“What’s your name soldier,” He asked a little softer. The boy looked up into his face, his large almond shaped eyes wide with terror, tears leaving tracks down his face which was smeared with dirt and blood, as was everything in this whole god forsaken place. He glanced at the insignia of Trunks shoulder and seemed to straighten up a little  
“Private Cabba, sir, third battalion,” He said with a shaky salute

“Ok listen Cabba, I’m gonna get you out of here, but you need to promise me you’ll stay calm and do as I say, ok?”

“sir, yes sir” Cabba replied feeling a little safer now he was not completely alone in this hell hole, but still full of jitters knowing these were more than likely his last moments on earth. 

Trunks raised his eyes over the ridge of the crater he was hiding in, the noise had quietened down a little, the screaming had mostly stopped, the poor men either had been taken by a medic or died, probably the latter. The bullets were mostly quiet, every now and then a bout of fire ringing out across the sodden landscape.  
The scene was just as dismal as ever, inches from where Trunks face emerged there lied a young man, little more than a boy, his eyes were open, blinking, but he didn’t move, one of his legs had been blown off, leaving a mangled stump where it used to be. With an injury like that there was little chance of him surviving, if the blood loss didn’t kill him the filth would infect the wound and he would die of septicaemia, but Trunks couldn’t just leave him there. Against his better judgement he grabbed his arm and pulled. Dragging him into the hole just in time before one of the Freiza force spotted the movement and bullets rained down around them, leaving wormholes in the mud inches from the guy’s head.

They both plopped back into the shell hole. Trunks examined the wound

“What’s your name soldier,” He asked and wasn’t surprised when he got no answer, this guy had lost a lot of blood, and was quickly losing more. Trunks reached into his trouser pocket; he knew he had a ball of string in there. 

“Cabba, check his tag,” He ordered as he started wrapping the string tightly round the guys thigh, if he could stop the bleeding and get him back to a medic there was a slight chance he would survive, and with only one leg he would be sent home, right now, this guy had a way of escaping this torture and if Trunks could help him do that he would. He bound the leg tight, ignoring the blood spilling onto his hands and soaking into his sleeves.

“His name is Nion sir,” Cabba muttered reading the dog tags, his face white as a sheet as the blood from the wound pumped out mixing with the water and blood already in the hole, the smell intensifying with each fresh gush.

“Nion, can you hear me?” Trunks called, Nion didn’t answer but his eyes moved slowly to meet the other mans, he was at least half conscious of his surroundings, the pain and adrenalin may have rendered him speechless, but he still knew where he was, poor guy.

“Nion, I’m officer Trunks, me and Cabba here are gonna get you back to safety,” Trunks told him in his most confident tone, letting not even the slightest quiver tarr his voice, he needed to be confident, he needed to be a rock for these men, god knows they needed some hope to cling to. He covered the worst of the wound with a handkerchief that he kept in his pocket, it was far from ideal, but better than leaving it open to the elements, he dreaded to think what kind of bacteria is living in this slop.

“Cabba, we’re gonna get either side of him and help him back to the trench, it’s the only way, you have to move fast, you ready?” Trunks looked at the smaller man, he trembled but still nodded, the bravery and courage of these soldiers was astonishing

“Good man, come on Nion lets get you home,” He said grabbing the injured man’s arm and hoisting him up, his one remaining leg struggling for purchase on the slippery ground before Cabba grabbed the other arm to steady him.

“Straight to the trench men, don’t stop for a second or we will all be goners,” Was Trunks last instruction before they threw themselves from the hole and ran as fast as was possible in their current state towards the safety of the trench. Other soldiers had noticed them running and were shooting cover fire to try and make their way a little easier.  
Bullets hit the ground around them as they made their way painstakingly towards safety. 

“Keep going Cabba, we’re nearly there,” Trunks yelled almost in triumph as they neared the edge of the trench, he could hear other people cheering as he got close. A shell hit a few feet away from them, it wasn’t enough to kill any of them, but it shook the ground enough that they all fell, their hands sinking into the thick mud, dragging them down into the ground. Cabba fought to stand up his face thick with brown sludge as he reached for Nion, he stopped sharp, Nion was no longer saveable, a piece of shrapnel from the blast had embedded itself into the back of his neck, very nearly beheading the poor guy, blood oozed from the throat in bubbles, Trunks watched as the life drained from his eyes until there was nothing left but a dead body, that small glimmer of chance wiped out in a second. For a moment Trunks just stared, deeply saddened by this loss, it wasn’t just another dead man, it was another piece of his hope gone, every time he sees any spark of hope in this place it is stolen from him.  
He feels anger burning from within him, he wants nothing more than to kill every one of the Freiza force and stop the unnecessary life loss, all this death, all this torture and for what? a distraction, just to keep the enemies’ eyes away from their true intentions. Was it worth it? was anything worth this kind of senseless bloodshed?  
“officer Trunks, what now?” Cabba yelled looking panicked at his side

“Go, to the trench, GO NOW,” Trunks yelled to Cabba, he grabbed Nion’s dog tag, yanking it straight through his severed neck and shoving the blood dripping ID into his pocket. He and Cabba then moved fast together into safety. They were met there by soldiers who offered them water and blankets, words of condolences for the man they tried to save.  
Cabba was taken away by medics to check him over, they think he is suffering from some kind of shock, and Trunks is left alone with his thoughts. He sat on the frozen floor and lit a cigarette. How many men had died under his command? Not just today but for the last two months. How many terrified soldiers were still alive out there, cold, and alone on the battlefield, scared to move? How many soldiers had followed his orders and ran to their death because he had told them to? Hundreds? Thousands? He took a deep pull on his cigarette, he didn’t smoke before he came here, disgusting habit, but now days he didn’t care about that, anything to settle his shot nerves, to calm his shakes.  
This needed to stop, he couldn’t bare it any longer, something had to be done, he didn’t want to be the reason another person went over the top. 

Just then a soldier jumped into the trench next to him, a woman, there were very few women in the Saiyan army, it was still a little frowned upon, but women demanded equality so here they are. She leant against the wall and tried to wipe some of the blood from her body, she didn’t appear to be injured.

“You ok soldier?” he asked. She turned and glanced at his insignia, seeing he was an officer she gave a salute and stood up straight

“Captain Callifla sir, I’m ok, glad to see you made it back,” She said with a smile. It seemed she was not as fazed by the horrors as some of the men.

“here, you deserve this,” Trunks said passing her a cigarette and a sip of whiskey

“Thank you, Officer,” She said accepting both “hey it’ll get better, well win this soon,” She assured him with certainty before turning to leave. He sure hoped she was right; in the meantime, he needs to speak to his dad.


	2. Chapter 2

King Vegeta sat at his desk, looking over the reports that have been given to him by major Raditz, they did not look good. The two huge men stood at the other side of the plain wood desk were so large they nearly took up the whole office. Major Raditz and General Napper were exceptionally large men. Raditz pushed his long jet-black hair away from his eyes in a nervous gesture as he watched the king read over the reports.

“Major, why are we loosing so many men? At this rate we will run out,” the king asked, his well-manicured nail running along the lines as he reads the huge numbers of Saiyan soldiers lost to this battle. These numbers frighten him, though he will never show it, how can he sustain this war if his men are dropping like flies? He cannot. He sighed deeply and pushed the report away from him in disgust

“We are outnumbered your majesty, but our men are making great progress despite the loss of life” Raditz said hoping to appease the king a little, he hates to see him disappointed.  
“How long before the tunnels under Allemere are finished General Nappa?” he asked, silently praying he says they are almost done, and they can finally win this. The tunnels underneath Allemere were surely going to win this war for them. Once their soldiers got behind enemy lines and took the high ground at Allemere that would be the final push needed to get the Freiza forces retreating. 

So far Allemere had cost more Saiyan lives than any other battle, but it was a pivotal fight, it was the difference between winning or losing the whole war, the life loss was justified, or so he kept telling himself.  
“It’s going to be another month before they are complete, the ground is so sodden that they are having to use pillars every few feet or so to hold the ceilings up, it’s a slow process your majesty,” Nappa watched the kings face drop, he knew he was hoping for a different answer. Nappa shook his bald head as he saw the kings despair grow, King Vegeta did not have to express his feelings out loud for Nappa to hear them. He knew his king better than near enough anyone else in the whole kingdom, he could see the worry lines on his flawless face, his beautiful black eyes touched with a hint of silent fear  
“Don’t lose hope your majesty, all is not lost, we can still win,” Nappa said, his voice soft

“How are negotiations going with the namekians? Any chance of them joining forces with us?”

“King Piccolo is open to the idea, he knows it’s only a matter of time before the Freiza forces reach Namek, I think he will send soldiers soon,” Nappa says with confidence. King Piccolo was right, if the Freiza Force took over the country of Vegeta, Namek was next, the two countries shared a border, it was inevitable.  
“Good. Thank you, men that will be all,” the king dismisses them, they both turn to leave and get back to their important jobs  
“Oh Nappa,” The kings voice calls and he turns to address the king once more

“Yes, your majesty?”

“How is Project Ajax coming along?” he asks. Nappa smiles and opens his mouth to answer, this is one answer the king will be pleased to hear, but before the words can leave his lips the door to the office is slammed open dramatically and a mud-soaked soldier stomps into the room leaving a trail of sludge on the thick cream carpet  
“Father, this has to stop, this has to stop RIGHT NOW!” he declares angrily, leaving both the major and the general speechless

“Really Trunks could you not even have a shower before you came in here?” King Vegeta tells his son with disapproval as he sees the mud dripping onto the carpet, the sopping wet boots leaving a pool of brown underneath them  
“A shower? do you think the soldiers on the front line have the luxury of a shower? Do you think the men I lead to death today will ever be cleansed of the filth that covers their dead bodies? Do you think any number of showers could wash the blood from my hands, much less yours,” Trunks spat the words with such venom it left even the usually stoic king a little unnerved

“I see you are upset?” he said quietly

“That, father, is the biggest understatement you have ever made. You have no idea what we are dealing with out there, you are five miles from the front line here, do you even hear the bombs that blow your men to pieces? Or would you prefer not to? So, you can continue to ignore all the bloodshed YOU have ordered?” Vegeta flinches slightly at his son’s harsh words. He doesn’t need to hear the bombs to know they are happening. He sees the death count rising in its thousands every day, he knows he has given the order that killed these men, but he also knows it is for the best. If the Freiza forces were to invade their country, Vegeta, they would kill not only the men but the women and children too. Lord Freiza and his men would show no mercy, he had to protect his kingdom, they needed to fight.

“Calm down Trunks, I know this is hard for you, it’s hard for me too, believe me, but think of the people you are protecting, think what the Freiza forces would do to your mother if we let them past our defences. Maybe you should take a few days leave, get off the front line for a while……”  
“And leave my men with no warning? That’s not going to happen. I have a couple of days leave booked in a few weeks; I will wait till then. I don’t want to be treated different because of who I am,”  
“Don’t be ridiculous, you should be treated different, you are a prince,”

“I’m a prince second and a soldier first, don’t forget that, now if you’ll excuse me, my men need me, I didn’t come here for a social call. I mean it Father, something must change at Allemere, I will not do this for much longer. FIX IT,” He turned and stalked from the room leaving an awkward silence behind him, the bang of the door slamming making the atmosphere even thicker. King Vegeta sinks into his chair feeling disheartened, whatever decision he makes will upset people, whatever path he takes will end in the death of thousands. He looks up as though he has suddenly remembered that the two other men are still in the room.  
“well?..........you may leave, no good standing around staring at me, go make yourselves useful, we have a war to fight,” he snaps, it’s not their fault he is feeling low, they are trying their best to make the right choices just as he is, but they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, so they bared the brunt of the king’s sharp tongue. They quietly hurry from the room and Vegeta is left alone.

He reluctantly pulls the dismal report back towards him, the huge number seeming to jump from the page and taunt him, dancing around inside his mind like the spirits of the soldiers he inadvertently killed. He knew this massive number was not correct, this is just the confirmed dead, the real number is probably double this.   
He stood and walked over to the door, sliding the thick metal bolt across so no one else could burst in and disturb him, he needed a little time, time alone with his thoughts, time to come to terms with the numbers before him, time to hope that they could still win this.

He sat on his chair and laid his head on the desk; he would never let anyone see him in this state. He was the king, he was proud and strong, he never doubted his actions even for a second, the only problem was……… he did. For the last month thoughts have plagued his mind about if there was a way he could have prevented this disaster, could he have negotiated better with lord Freiza, could he have done things differently to have stopped this war. He doesn’t think so, but that doesn’t stop him thinking about it, doubting himself, being weak.

Weakness was something he could not stand, a weak person was a pathetic person in his eyes, a waste of skin. He hardened himself and took two deep breaths, he would not be weak, he would be the ruthless king these men needed right now. he raised his head, fresh determination on his face  
“Rough day?” a voice asked from beside him. the king started so much that he let out a small yelp in surprise, it wasn’t a very kingly sound. The man who spoke was sat on his desk, mere inches away, his butt crinkling all the important paperwork, a huge dorky grin on his face, his spikey black hair falling gently over his huge smiley eyes. This was a face that could always lighten the king’s foul mood.

“Kakarot what the fuck is wrong with you?” the king hissed in mock annoyance “What are you even doing here? You’re going to get yourself killed one of these days,” he continued, trying to stay annoyed but failing as Kakarot just smiled back, looking as though he hasn’t a care in the world.

“Get your big butt off my reports you lumbering oath, god only knows how your clumsy ass sneaks around the way you do,” Vegeta chuckles pushing the other man off the table and trying to straighten out his paper work

“Sneaking around is what I do best veg, you know that,” Kakarot answers smugly, he is the only person on the planet that can call the king Veg and live to tell the tale. 

“Don’t I just know it. but seriously Kakarot, you shouldn’t be here, you are the only agent that has ever infiltrated Freiza’s forces, he’s promoted you to General for Christ sake, if you get caught we will be back to knowing nothing. You need to take this more seriously,” Vegeta explains for the thousandth time knowing full well his words will fall on death ears and Kakarot will continue to do whatever he wants. He is the best agent the Saiyan army has ever had. There isn’t a fort in the universe that could keep this guy out, he is like a phantom, a shadow, the best at his job but my god was he annoying. The only reason king Vegeta hadn’t fired him and sent him to the trenches is because he knew no one else could replace him

“When have you ever known me to take anything seriously baby? And besides, I can’t stay away from you for that long,” Kakarot whispers running his hands slowly down the king’s body.

Ok, maybe a replacement wasn’t the only reason. Kakarot drove Vegeta wild, and vice versa, they had been inseparable since long before Vegeta was crowned king. Kakarot is the son of Bardock, a high-ranking corporal, so the two boys had grown up pretty close, they used to play in the palace courtyard as children. When the king had his first crush, it was on Kakarot, when he first cared about someone more than himself, it was Kakarot he cared for. When he first fell in love, it was with Kakarot. When the king was 19 and had his first kiss, it was Kakarot that gave it to him, and Kakarot was the only person he had willingly kissed since then. He had kissed trunks mother on rare occasions but that was more a formality than something he had been interested in doing. As king he needed an heir, Kakarot couldn’t produce that so he had taken a wife, as he was expected to do, she was an amazing woman, beautiful, smart, the leading scientist in the land no less, but for all her brains and beauty, Kakarot still was and always would be the love of his life, even if he would never say it out loud. 

Kakarot’s lips found their way to the king’s neck, a neck he had kissed a thousand times but still never grew tired of its exquisite flavour.

“How could I ever stay away from you, my king?” he whispered into Vegeta’s ear, moving his lips slowly up to the little tufts of black hair and the nape of Vegeta’s neck, making him quiver in anticipation of what was to come. Kakarot is an attentive lover, Vegeta’s pleasure being the top of his agender all the time.   
“Well, I am pretty irresistible,” Vegeta agreed causing the other man to chuckle against his skin

“Damn right you are, I don’t have much time, sit down,” Kakarot says pushing Vegeta gently into his chair and dropping to the floor between his knees. Vegeta lays his head back on the head rest of his chair his flame of black hair fanning out behind him. He lets Kakarot do as he pleases; this is just the stress relief he needs after today.

His buttons are unfastened by expert hands and his trousers pulled down his thighs, a hot wet mouth engulfing him, Kakarot always knows just what he needs. There is no urgency in his movements. He sucks slowly, almost lazily, swirling his tongue round, making Vegeta’s whole body tingle with pleasure.

A small moan escapes the king’s lips and he places his hands gently on the back of Kakarot’s head as though to make sure he doesn’t stop, even though they both knew he had no intention of stopping. when Vegeta’s moans grew louder and he started to rock his hips into the other man Kakarot knew it was time to pick up the pace, he sucked harder and faster sending his king into a frenzy, his body tensing and his thighs shaking as he drew nearer and nearer to climax. There was nothing Kakarot enjoyed more that hearing his king moan in rapture. He bobbed his head up and down, enjoying the feeling of Vegeta sliding between his lips, he could never stay away for long, Vegeta was a magnet to him, pulling him in, drawing him closer, he needed his king like he needed air.

It never took him long, and he always knew the precise moment that Vegeta passed the point of no return, he sped up and eagerly sucked harder, felling the already tense body beneath him harden even more, the girth in his mouth swell further in the seconds before the climax. 

Vegeta let out a grunt as he came undone and shoot his seed deep in Kakarot’s throat as he had done 1000 times before, holding him still till he was finished, the sensitive feeling becoming almost overwhelming before Kakarot removed his mouth and left the king panting in his chair feeling satisfied and a lot less stressed.

“I need to go baby, I don’t want my absence noticed,” Kakarot tells Vegeta, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand

“Not before I can return the favour?” the king asks smiling at the other man as he stands from his position on the floor

“Sorry baby, next time. I gotta go, I’ll be back for you real soon though I promise” He kisses Vegeta chastely on the cheek and vanishes out the window, how headquarters security never picks him up Vegeta will never know, but he is glad they don’t. there are very few people here who know of Kakarot’s true identity, its kept on a purely need to know basis, so if a guard saw him he would be shot dead for sure, but they would have to see him first, and that’s never going to happen.


	3. Chapter 3

The heart rate monitor makes a steady beeping sound that echo’s round the otherwise silent room, the red line of the monitor rising and falling along with the sound the only movement in the darkened lab. On a cold metal table, a large figure lies under a thin white sheet, his huge body has no movement apart from the steady rise and fall of his muscular chest, the man’s eyes are closed, his eyebrows twitching as though he is dreaming, his handsome mouth a perfectly still line, his black hair spread out behind him against the bare metal bed. 

At his side a woman sits, staring intently at the readouts on her screen, the bags under her blue eyes a sign of the many sleepless nights she has endured to make this thing work, her perfectly straight cut sky blue hair falling neatly around her pretty face, project ajax was huge, and she had accomplished it nearly alone, very few people were allowed to know about this top-secret weapon, only the most trusted officers knew what Bulma had been working on in this lab. Ajax might just win the war for the Saiyan’s, he would certainly give them the edge that they needed to finally beat the Freiza forces.

Bulma had been working on this for six months straight and finally he was finished. The small and shy man that had come to her back then was no more, he had been transformed into the perfect soldier. This soldier would be as strong as ten men, as fast as a car, bullet proof, fireproof and nearly shell proof, his stamina second to none, his intellect unparalleled, he is almost indestructible. It would take a pretty big explosion to kill him. his fear had been removed along with his compassion, he is programmed to follow orders and nothing else. More robot that man, he would be the ultimate fighting machine. During try outs he had taken down a tank, bending the metal with nothing but his bare hands. Ajax was quite frankly amazing. 

She checked her chart one last time, she knew everything was in perfect order, but she needed to double check, the king, her husband, would be here any moment and Bulma couldn’t afford to mess this up, everything needs to run like clockwork if she wants to gain the kings approval. Project Ajax is especially important to king Vegeta, and to herself, this super soldier is to be their son’s bodyguard. If you ask the king he would say he is giving project Ajax to prince Trunks because he is the finest soldier on the field and that would give the program the best chance of working, but anyone who knew the king knew that was a lie. His hardened and cold exterior is hiding a compassionate centre, all the years of having to bury his feelings deep had changed him, but he still had a lot of love for his son. Project Ajax is being given to Trunks to protect him, to make sure he gets to the end of the war alive. King Vegeta is terrified that something will happen to his only son, he would be devastated if he were to be killed on the field. Bulma and the king have a somewhat loveless marriage, they are both fine with this, neither of them have time for each other anyway, but they both have a lot of love for their beautiful son.

Well, she has done all she can do now, she has put 110 percent effort into this, given it all her time and patience, hurt her brain with the amount of formulas she has had to work out, and here is the fruit of her labour, a man. An amazing man. She had done as the king asked, taken a regular man, and replaced him with a masterpiece, he will probably remember nothing of his life before the experiment, that man is all but dead. She pulled the file of the man who entered the lab six months ago, his name had been erased from this file, from every file ever, that man no longer exists. she looks at the huge frame of the man sleeping before her, his face still looks the same as the man smiling in the photograph, she has of him before, but that is all. Every other part of him has been modified. His brain changed and updated, she had installed a chip that makes him know all sorts of information despite the fact he has never learned it, she removed all the parts of his brain he didn’t need. Ajax would never feel pain, he would never feel fear and he would have no emotions. His heart has been tweaked, it can pump blood faster than a human heart, meaning he can do more for longer. His bones have been coated in metal to make them more durable, his skin thickened, right down to his feet, even the soles of them have been replaced with a thick leather like substance, if Ajax ever loses his shoes he can still run for miles barefoot without his feet bleeding. Bulma has thought of everything.

“Should you be reading that? I was under the impression that man no longer exists,” a voice sounds over her shoulder, startling her, making her jolt, and let out a squeak. King Vegeta smiles down at her

“Vegeta, you scared me, I didn’t hear your entrance,” She says jumping from her chair and smiling back. 

“Is he ready?” he asks eyeing up the man lying on the operating table silently

“He is as ready as he will ever be, I was just waiting for you to arrive before we wake him up,” Bulma confirms, she sees the impressed smile on the king’s face, he looks amazing when he smiles, it is a rare sight now days, Vegeta doesn’t often have much to smile about. It feels good to know that he is pleased with her work so far, she wishes she could see him happy more, but she knows there is another who can make him smile more than she can, she has come to terms with that.

Vegeta has been personally involved in this project from the very beginning, demanding regular progress reports and coming to see the project for himself often. Every time he has visited, he has made a point of complimenting Bulma and her work, he never treats her differently to any other scientist on his team despite their relationship, he is a good king.

“Excellent, shall we proceed,” He asks with an excited twinkle in his eyes, she can see that he is really looking forward to seeing if all the time and energy has actually paid off, and also finally being able to stop worrying day and night about his boy.

“Of course,” Bulma nods and takes a deep breath to calm herself. Her palms are sweaty, and her heart is thumping. She pulls over a small metal trolley with some instruments on, Vegeta notices two huge syringes each filled with white liquid

“What are those?” He asks, he is genuinely interested in every aspect of this project

“One is adrenaline, that will wake him up for us, the other is a sedative, in case things go wrong,” She says while lifting the adrenaline filled needle and flicking it to get all the air bubbles out of the fluid

“What could go wrong?” Vegeta asks resisting the urge to take a step back

“Probably nothing, but with the amount of surgery I have performed on this man, the vast alterations to his brain, there is a small possibility I have damaged his thinking process, there is a 12 percent chance he will be totally insane, but don’t worry I have taken the necessary precautions,” She tells the king confidently lifting the sheet to reveal a very strong muscled arm chained to the table.

“This is the strongest metal in existence, even he can’t break it,” She assures her king. There is a wire already attached to Ajax’s arm, feeding him through in IV, Bulma carefully removes the wire feeding him and pumps the whole syringe full of adrenaline directly into his bloodstream. For three long seconds nothing happens, Bulma’s heart races in her chest as she waits for the drug to take effect.

The beeping of the heart rate monitor speeds up as the adrenaline reaches his heart, his body twitches and finally after three months of being in an induced coma as she applied the finishing touches to his new body, Ajax opens his eyes and looks around the room, a confused expression on his face.   
He tries to stand but quickly realises that he is tied down, his wide dark eyes move down to look at the thick silver chains holding him and blinks twice

“Why am I restrained?” He asks in a flat monotonous voice, he does not seem scared or worried, he just wants to know why he cannot get up. For a moment both Bulma’s and the king just stare at him. it worked! He is awake and speaking. Project Ajax is a success.  
Vegeta looks at Bulma, waiting for her to do something, she had worked so hard on this it feels wrong for him to be the first to speak. She steps forward and takes another deep breath

“it’s just a precaution, I wasn’t sure the procedure had been successful. How are you feeling?” she asks in her most formal voice, placing a blood pressure monitor around his tree trunk of a bicep and clicking the button to make it pump up

“I am a little disorientated, other than that I feel well,” Ajax answers, his voice is strong and deep his accent clear and well pronounced, Vegeta wonders if his voice was this manly and perfect before the experiment or if all the testosterone she must have pumped into him to make his muscles so large has deepened it.

“Ok, that’s completely normal you will feel slightly uneasy for a short while, that’s the effect of the adrenaline, let me untie you and we can take some measurements, your confusion will soon pass” Bulma says in a chirpy voice. The man on the bed is unrestrained and when he stands both Bulma and Vegeta let out a small gasp. He is 6 foot 8 and so wide. Every part of his body is remarkable, every part. Vegeta was fighting pretty hard to keep his eyes on the man’s face as he stood before him completely naked, his body is exquisite, every bulging muscle perfectly in proportion to the next.

Bulma busily starts to measure him, taking note of how much he has grown since the start of the treatment. His arms have more than doubled in size, as has much of his body. he looks like a god; the name Ajax is very suited to this fine warrior.  
Vegeta watches with wide eyes, this soldier will be perfect to take care of his son, he steps forward.

“What do you remember from your life before?” he asks having to raise his head high to look into the eyes of this mountain of man, nearly two foot in height difference between Ajax and the rather small king. Project Ajax blinks back at him for a few moments, trying to recall something, anything from before a few moments ago when he woke up on the operating table. Nothing. His whole life and everything in it was a blank. He does not know his name, his age, how he got here, nothing.

“Nothing at all sir,” he answers monotonously, this information seems to have no effect on the man at all, he does not seem saddened by the fact that he doesn’t know who he is. The king rightly assumes this is because his sadness emotion has been removed. Vegeta nods and looks at Bulma

“When will he be ready for the battle ground?” he asks with a gleam in his eye

“Give me a week, I have to run a few tests and make sure his mind is stable, I wouldn’t want to give him to Trunks if there is a chance he could slip into insanity, but after that he can go to war,” She confirms proudly “He will make an excellent soldier

“Well done Bulma I knew you could pull this off,” He smiles at his wife.


	4. Chapter 4

Project Ajax chapter 4 

Kakarot walked into the Freiza Force headquarters, no one stopped him. everyone knew Goku, which was the name he used while undercover here. He had worked his way up to be a pretty high ranking general and was able to acquire a lot of battle plans and get them to king Vegeta, it was keeping then one step ahead of the enemy and by god they needed that.

The corridors of this place have a whole different feel to the Saiyan headquarters, there people are sad, worried, scared even. The bravest of soldiers are still apprehensive, they know they are losing. Here is nothing like that, here is smug, carefree and sometimes downright nasty. Lord Freiza has no problem letting his men die on the battle field, he doesn’t care about his army all he cares about is whether or not they win, as long as they are winning and he has plenty of men, he doesn’t give a crap what is happening on the field.

Kakarot still feels out of place here, he acts the part well though and no one would ever know, he is the best at what he does. He makes his way down the quiet corridor the plush red carpets thick under his feet, to where he knows Lord Freiza will be. King Vegeta can always be found in his office, working hard trying to figure out statistics and strategies, Lord Freiza on the other hand, likes to party. He can usually be found in his private rooms, surrounded by his closest friends and generals, beautiful women, servants bringing endless amounts of alcohol and food. The contrast was stark.

Kakarot hated hanging out with Freiza, but he had to make his presence known, he had to be consistent, he couldn’t have people start to question his whereabouts, if they did he would have to stop visiting the king so often. He knows he shouldn’t do it, it’s risky and unnecessary but he just can’t help himself. He never could stay away from his beautiful ruler, besides its not like anyone is going to catch him, again, he is the best at what he does.

He pushes the door open, there is a burly lady guarding the door, she doesn’t stop him and just nods once in greeting as he enters the smoke-filled room

“Goku!! We’ve been waiting for you” Lord Freiza exclaims seeing his favourite general entre the room, his deep dark lips stretching into a wide smile. No matter how pleased he is his smile still looks like more of a sly smirk than an actual grin. he has been thrilled since Goku joined his ranks, he is a skilled and loyal man and has been nothing but an asset to his team. He is also fun to party with and that is an important trait in freiza’s eyes, Goku can really hold his drink and smoke with the best of them. They both smile as they look at each other, Freiza would be lying if he said he wasn’t attracted to the tall, strapping General. There had been some flirting between them in recent months, and though Goku has never fully accepted Frieza’s advances he hadn’t completely rejected them either. Freiza was wondering if once this war was over, he might take Goku as a partner, they could rule the world together and to be quite honest he couldn’t think of anyone he would rather have at his side

“Come and sit with me, I’ll pour you a drink,” Freiza says reaching a pure white hand towards the table to lift the bottle of whisky there. He doesn’t pour drinks for anyone else, not even himself. He has servants to do these menial tasks for him. It has not gone unnoticed to the other generals and captains that often drink with them. Although most of them try to hide it, jealousy is rampant amongst them. Some of them have been loyal to freiza for more than 20 years and this guy saunters in and becomes the favourite in no time at all, also the fact that he is a Saiyan causes some tension between them, people don’t like to admit it out loud but Saiyan’s are thought of as primal, uncivilised even amongst a lot of other races. It’s a source of chagrin in much of the Freiza Force. 

Kakarot sits down next to the evil leader, perfectly pretending that he wants to be there, he is trying his best to ignore the subtle flirting from Lord Freiza but it’s getting harder and harder each day. He can’t fully turn him down and risk losing his good position in the force, but he doesn’t want to take things any further that innocent flirting either. As much as Freiza is an attractive dude, there is no denying the beauty in those ruby red almond shape eyes, his body is small yet perfect, much like King Vegeta’s they are of a very similar build, something that Kakarot finds most pleasing, his skin white as snow with purple accents is nothing short of glorious. But he is completely evil and Kakarot doesn’t want to cheat on King Vegeta. He knows they are not really an item, Vegeta has a wife, he had to choose a wife to produce an hair but behind closed doors, he and the king really were a couple. They always had been, their love was inevitable from day one, he couldn’t possibly look at anyone else in a sexual way, even if this war depended on it. But even as he thought all this he knew, if it came to it, he would have to. If he lost his position here people would die, there is a good chance he will have to get intimate with Freiza. Just the thought of it makes him shudder a little

“Are you cold,” Freiza asks feeling the slight shiver

“No, not at all. Thanks for the drink” Kakarot says taking the whisky from his hand and taking a sip. The conversation carries on around them. Most of these men just want to speak of the death they have caused and how they got to the high ranks they are in now. The stories they tell are ones that Kakarot has heard again and again, but the more drunk the guys get, the more gruesome and elaborate the stories get. They all want to impress Lord Freiza, who sits quietly, observing rather that joining the conversation

Their fun evening was soon interrupted, the door burst open and a guard came in holding a small Saiyan soldier by the hair

“Found this little shit creeping around outside, probably a spy” He announced. Kakarot knew he was not a spy, he looked like any young soldier, he probably got lost during a battle and somehow ended up here, poor guy looked absolutely terrified, and rightly so, he will be lucky to survive the beating he will inevitably get from this lot.  
They don’t even try to pretend that they don’t enjoy it, its like a pack of hyenas, as soon as he was dragged into the room they were all up from their comfy chairs, the beautiful women who sat next to them soon got up and took their leave, they too knew all too well what was about to happen.

Within a minute of the soldier arriving, the biggest of Freiza’s generals, Dodoria, throws the first punch. They didn’t believe he was a spy, none of them did, that was just their petty excuse to give him a good kick in. of course Kakarot had to join in, but he was as gentle as he could be, he really didn’t want to play a part in killing an innocent man. After about 25 mins of relentless blows the man is dragged from the room, leaving a trail of blood on the carpet behind him. his bones must be broken, and his body battered but he is alive at least.

Kakarot waits till nightfall, again he should not be doing this, but he cannot help it. He was careful not to drink any more whisky for the rest of the evening, he needed to be fully aware to carry out this task. It was easy to move undetected around headquarters, he could come and go as he pleased with very little risk of anyone noticing, he was a master of stealth and an expert at disguise.

He easily gets to the medical wing and gets the things he will need to al least fix the soldier up a little bit, he knows where he will be being held and gets there totally unnoticed.

“Hi, I’m Goku,” He whispers to the guy who looks like the worst of his wounds have already been treated, someone else in this place must have a heart too. The man looks scared and tries to shuffle away across the floor of the cell

“I’m not gonna hurt you, I’m getting you out of here” Kakarot explains quietly, helping the guy to his feet

“What’s your name?” he asks the other Saiyan

“Basil” the guy answers uncertainly, he isn’t sure if he should trust this Goku guy or not but in his current situation he doesn’t have much of a choice, so he follows along

“Ok Basil I’m gonna need you to be silent and stay next to me, I’m risking a lot to get you out of here so don’t let me down ok” Kakarot explains softly, he doesn’t want to scare the guy but he needs him to understand how important this is. Basil nods

“Cool, let’s get going” Kakarot declares rather cheerily considering the circumstances. They use the servant corridors to get out, a lot of old houses like this have whole separate areas that only servants can use, they come in really handy for someone like Kakarot he can move around much more freely in them. 

It was a long way from the Freiza force hq to king Vegeta’s place, Kakarot borrowed one of the many cars that were stored here and drove the wounded man all the way to safety. He didn’t wait around to see anyone, as tempting as it was to pop in and have a sneaky kiss with the king, maybe more than a kiss, he resisted, he didn’t want anyone to notice his absence, he didn’t want to give them any reason to accuse him of letting the prisoner go.

Lord Freiza was pacing, he was never usually this indecisive but for some reason he just couldn’t decide what the best thing to do was. He wanted to see Goku, he waned to spend time with him. a man with as much power as Lord Freiza should never dither when he wants something, whatever he wants he should take with no questions asked. But something about that felt wrong, Goku deserves respect, he is a strong and brave warrior and should be treated as such. After a while he decides its best to just knock on his door and ask if he would like to spend a little time alone with him, what is the worst that can happen. He marches over and taps on the door. There is no response. Maybe Goku is sleeping, he knocks a little harder, nothing. After a moments deliberation he pushes the door, it swings open. Goku is not in his room, his empty plain white bed perfectly made in the centre of an empty room. There is nothing wrong with that, he is allowed out, he is not a prisoner here, its just a wonder where he has gone at this late hour, and why.   
Freiza makes his way back to his own quarters, for some reason he has a weird feeling about this, he decides he will have to keep a close eye on Goku, he isn’t sure why, just a gut feeling.


	5. Chapter 5

chapter 5 

Trunks strides down the long corridor, people greet him as he passes, and he nods back politely. His anger making him not want to stop and talk. Today he turns 24, and just because of that he has been called away from the battlefield, away from his men. Does no one realise a birthday is unimportant right now? How many soldiers will not see another birthday due to this battle and yet here he is expected to celebrate and be merry. Well his father was much mistaken. He will give his mother a hug, she deserves that much, and then he will be heading back to the trenches, to where he is needed.

“Officer Trunks” an excited voice calls. He looks up ready to nod again and move on, but the face he sees stops him in his tracks

“Lieutenant Basil, I saw you get captured, how did you get here?” he exclaims throwing his arms round the other man, he had assumed him dead, a POW doesn’t live to tell the tale when Lord Freiza is involved, he is pure malevolence to the core

“A man named Goku rescued me and brought me here, I have no idea who he was but he took me from my cell, dropped me off here and left again, I owe him my life and I have no way to even thank him”

“I’m just glad to see you are alive, I promise I’ll try my best to find out who Goku is and bring him to you so you can thank him properly” trunks promises and bids Basil farewell. His bad mood a little lifted now. It’s the little things like that that really make Trunks smile, yes he has lost 1000 men but there is still hope, some of them might still be out there, seeing Basil like that after assuming he was dead had made Trunks’ morning. Maybe he will have just one drink with his father to celebrate his birthday.

He gets to his father’s office and pushes the light wooden door open; his mum and dad are both there, they both look up and smile happily when they see him

“Trunks, Happy birthday my sweetie” Sher exclaims and jumps up from her seat to give him a firm hug, her arms close around him and she holds on a little too tight, she knows each time she hugs her son may be the last so she makes the most of every second she has with him  
“Thanks mum,” He answers, feeling almost like a human again as her arms hold him tight. She is the only part of his life that has remained normal since this whole war started. His father was always a father first and a king second, but over the last few years that has changed drastically, he is a king before anything else now and barely has time to be a father, husband, friend or even human for that matter. He is more like a robot now.

“Happy Birthday Trunks, hopefully next year’s one will be in better circumstances,” The king says, handing his son a drink

“Thanks dad,” he accepts the drink. He takes a sip; this is the good stuff. This is dad’s old whisky that he gets out for special occasions, it tastes wonderful, warm, and smooth, it burns on its way down and causes him to shiver slightly. He looks round the room for the first time and is a little startled when he sees a huge man stood quietly in the corner. He is dressed in uniform and is stood to attention. Trunks can’t quite place his finger on it but something about the guy is wrong. He does not make any sense. I mean this is an army headquarters so seeing a soldier here shouldn’t seem so out of place, but it’s the way he is stood silently in the room, blank facial expression, poker straight back, eyes forward. The man’s hair is black and short but spikey, regular for a Saiyan, his skin is flawless, his muscles perfect. Maybe this is why he stands out too much, he is too perfect, too neat, too tall, it creeps Trunks the fuck out. The king follows Trunk’s line of vision

“Ah, I see you’ve spotted project Ajax, great, isn’t he? Your mum worked really hard on him”

“What do you mean?” Trunks asks, his eyebrows furrowing in bafflement

“Exactly what I said,” Vegeta says proudly “Your mum all but made this man. He will be the finest soldier the world has ever seen. He can do amazing things, barely able to be harmed, he has no emotions and is super obedient. He will help us to crush our enemies, and he is all yours” the king’s pride is shining brighter than the sun, and his wife is smiling along with him

“you…made a man? Mum what is he jabbering on about”

“I didn’t make a man, I merely enhanced him, as a gift to you, he will protect you Trunks, he’s programmed to follow your every command”

Trunks looks back and forth between his parents, just waiting for one of them to say syke but knowing they won’t. This is sick. How are they not seeing how sick this is? They both look so proud of themselves as they wait for him to respond

“You’re serious right? you genetically altered a human being to make some kind of super soldier to protect me? As a gift to me? Have I got that correct,” He asks

“Yep, happy birthday,” his dad says gesturing to the man in the corner. Trunks sighs heavily. He knows there is no point arguing with them, if they were going to see the error of their ways, they would have seen it a long, long time ago. Great so now he is going to be stuck with this big oath tagging along every where he goes. Trunks wants nothing more than to tell his parents what absolute shits they are, tell them to keep their sickening “gift”, probably smash some stuff up then leave, but he does not do any of that. Instead he walks over to the soldier, he feels sorry for him. who was he before all this? Was this thing standing before him once a normal man with thoughts and feelings, now he is just a glorified guard dog

“What’s your name soldier?” Trunks asks looking up into the black eyes of the massive guy.

Project Ajax looks down at him. he isn’t sure how to answer. He knows what a name is, of course he does, he is intelligent, he knows the dictionary definition of all words in nearly all languages, but he isn’t sure what his own name is. He searched his mind for something he has been called

“My name is Project Ajax” He replies, his voice deep and monotonous

“That’s not a name, that’s a label, you don’t remember what your name is?”

“I remember nothing from my life before” He says in flat emotionless tones. Trunks throws an angry glare at his parents, how could they do this

“That’s really sad. Well, what name do you like the most, you are lucky most people don’t get to choose their own name” Trunks prompts, he isn’t about to walk around calling the man project Ajax

“I like the name Trunks very much” he replies

“Um…. that’s my name……it would get a little confusing if we were both called Trunks don’t you think?” Trunks chuckles a little awkwardly, this is going to be hard work

“How so?”

“Well if someone yelled Trunks we wouldn’t know if they were talking to me or you,” Trunks explains rolling his eyes a little

“I realise this could be a problem, there are many names to choose from, what name do you like the most officer Trunks?” Ajax then goes on the list a lot of names starting with the letter a, it is obvious he is just relaying an alphabetical list of names, none of these names mean anything. He starts on the letter B, looking at Trunks the whole time waiting for him to say what name he likes most

“Stop, stop. I don’t need to hear every name in the world” Trunks interrupts his insistent listing “Hmmm… how about Gohan, you look like a Gohan to me,” Trunks suggests. It’s a really nice name and it really does suit the man standing in front of him

“That name will suffice; I shall answer when you speak it” Gohan says.

“Cool, lets get out of here Gohan” Trunks turns to leave

“You’re leaving already?” Bulma asks, she was hoping to spend some time with her son today, and she was kind of expecting him to show some gratitude for all the hard work she has done over the last months, all for his protection.

“I don’t want to be around either of you right now, you are selfish and immoral, what you have done to this man is despicable, but I don’t have time to argue with you so I’m just going to leave, come on Gohan” He answers, his voice doesn’t even sound angry, he knows there is no point shouting, they will never see that they have done anything wrong

“Well if he is so immoral why are you still taking project Ajax with you,” Vegeta asks trying to understand why his son is acting this way, all they did was try to help Trunks and try to win the war and stop more unnecessary death, isn’t that what Trunks had asked for. Vegeta felt as though he couldn’t win. No matter what he done his son was still angry with him

“His name is Gohan, and I’m hardly going to leave him here with you pair of psychopaths am I. this man has been through enough already, I’m going to take him with me and give him the respect he deserves as a human being”

Trunks leaves and Gohan follows behind him, he can see that Trunks is feeling sad, but he doesn’t know how to comfort him, he has been programmed to battle, not to comfort. He searched his database for the correct response

“There there” He says monotonously, placing a hand on Trunks’s back as they storm angrily down the corridor

“It will be ok” He says. Trunks sighs, he is annoyed about Gohan’s existence, the whole project enrages him, but he is not annoyed with Gohan, its not his fault he was genetically altered. Trunks wondered what happened in this guys life to make him volunteer to be basically killed and replaced with this machine. He can tell this stiff hand on his back is supposed to be comfort and surprisingly enough it works, Trunks is touched that a man with no feelings recognised he needed some support and tried his best to make him feel better

“Thanks, Gohan, so can you make conversation, or did they not find that essential?” Trunks asks, he feels a little awkward, he wants to treat this man like a human but there is no denying that there isn’t a whole lot of humanity left inside this vessel.

“I can converse at a basic level. How is the weather today?” Gohan says and his face stretches into a forced smile.

“Its raining,” Trunks answers, he could do without small talk at the moment but if that’s all Gohan can manage he will go with it, try and give the poor guy a small amount of normality before they are back in the hell hole that id the battlefield

” It’s cold too, do you have a coat?” Trunks asks, Gohan is wearing a standard army uniform jacket but they do little to keep out the cold

“I do not feel the cold, and water has no negative effect on my body. I do not require a coat, I do however have a built in thermostat so that if you feel cold I can warm you by wrapping my arms around your body,” He informs Trunks with a completely straight face

“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary, I have a nice thick coat. Are you hungry?”

“I do not require food; I am however fully functional as a hunting machine. I have full survival skills and I can adapt to any place or situation. If you need food, I can get it for you,” Gohan says.

“Again, not necessary, but thanks anyway Gohan”

his mum and dad really did think of everything didn’t they, there was no way he was going to get into a sticky situation with Gohan at his side. He can’t quite say he likes the guy yet; he is kind of dull, but he is happy to have some company that he knows isn’t going to die as soon as they get close. Trunks had avoided making any real friends for that very reason, every time he starts to like someone they get killed in some horrible way or another, so he stopped getting close to anyone. Maybe Gohan would be a good thing. He was invented in am immoral and twisted way but that doesn’t mean they can’t make the best of a bad situation now. He smiled at Gohan

“Well let me take you to the terrible place that will be your home for the foreseeable future” 

“Sounds amazing,” Gohan answered with not a scrap of sarcasm in his tone.


	6. Chapter 6

Project Ajax chapter 6 

Vegeta had been stressed, really stressed. Aside from the obvious, like being on the loosing side of a war and having the blood of thousands on his hands, his son wasn’t talking to him. it had been three days since he presented Trunks with Project Ajax and since then, he had seen hide nor hair of him. he had sent his best soldiers to keep an eye on him and repot back, it seems Trunks was absolutely fine. He was working well with Project Ajax and making great progress, the project is an amazing success, he was a fast digger and was working on the tunnels at the speed of 20 men, he would happily give his life to protect Trunks and he was great morale for the entire battalion. But trunks still would not speak to his father. He had taken a firm moral high ground that Vegeta did not understand and he just wouldn’t budge at all.

He downed his third whisky, he shouldn’t be drinking, it’s the middle of the night and the world seemed quiet for once, the stars in the clear sky outside his window looked peaceful in a way he hadn’t seen for what felt like forever, he should get some much needed rest, but his mind wont settle, his body wont relax, his leg bounces with frustration  
He rereads the fax he was sent earlier that day, it’s from King piccolo of the Namekians. There country is a neighbour to Vegeta’s. he had asked them, no begged them to send in their army, with their joined forces there was no way the freezer force could beat them. He needed help and he wasn’t ashamed to admit that

King Piccolo had not declined so that was a good thing, but he said he wasn’t ready yet, their army had not fought for many years and were in need of training. They were readying themselves as they can predict if the Freiza force is successful in taking over Vegeta, Namek would be next, but they needed a few weeks. The king preyed that they were faster than that, a few more weeks meant a few more thousand deaths.

Kakarot swung his legs over the balcony outside Vegeta’s room. He could see his lover inside, sat at his desk worrying when he should be sleeping. He can always tell when Vegeta is frustrated by the way his leg bounces, he can never stop fidgeting when he is thinking about something stressful. He is right to be stressed with all that is going on, shit, it would be crazy if he weren’t stressed, but that doesn’t mean Kakarot has to like it.

Vegeta is the love of his life and he never wants to see him frown. He shouldn’t be here; he is taking far too many risks far too often, but he can’t help it. Every time Frieza calls a meeting to tell them how well the battle is going and how many people they have killed in cold blood its like a knife to Kakarot’s heart. He knows his lover is reading those same figures. He knows the king is feeling every one of those deaths as if it is a piece of himself that has been killed. He tried his best but nothing he had done could have stopped this war from happening, that has never stopped him blaming himself though. Vegeta hates himself a little more with every bullet fired, every soldier killed is another crack in his already broken heart. He does a great job of hiding it, but not to Kakarot, he can see right through his act, he reads him like an open book.

He walks in silently behind his king, it’s a good job he isn’t an assassin from the other side coz he could take him out in an instant right now, not a single guard had seen his entrance, despite the fact that he passed by at least 12 of them on his way in.

“Hey” He says softly causing Vegeta to start and spill a little of the whisky he is pouring himself

“Kakarot, why are you here again?” The king sighs without looking round  
“I figured you would be stressed out”

“Well you figured right, I just don’t know what to do,” His voice cracks as he speaks and he drops his head into his hands, finally showing how defeated he feels, only Kakarot is allowed to see this side of Vegeta, the vulnerable, scared Vegeta that is not just the king but also a man, a man who is facing the worst fears he has ever had. Holding it together and never showing fear or weakness is slowly grinding away at him

“I don’t want to see any more death,” He says his voice little more than a whisper “I can’t take it anymore”

“Come here baby” He gently wrapped his arms around the king and allowed him to bury his face into his shoulder. He wasn’t crying, but Kakarot knew him well enough that if he were to push him to talk about this, it would make him cry. You had to wait for Vegeta to be ready to speak to you.

“It’ll be ok” Kakarot whispers against the other man’s neck, stroking his deep black hair and doing his best to sooth all his problems away, if only for a moment

“I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t even think straight” 

“Well you won’t be able to think at all if you haven’t eaten or slept, you silly sausage, how do you expect to win a war on an empty stomach,” the younger man scolds him

“Do you suppose my army has a full stomach right now,” Vegeta snaps back, annoyed at Kakarot’s nonchalance towards the situation

“Probably not, but the faster we can win this war the faster they can get home and eat. Now do you think you will get them home faster if you can think straight or if you can’t?” it was a simple question, with a simple answer

“If I can think straight,” The king answers quietly, he knows his lover is right. It is almost imposible to win an argument with Kakarot, his mind is so simple, seeking out the most fast and easy solution to any problem, he ignores all formalities and complications and comes up with the best answer to any problem, even if it’s the answer you don’t want to hear.

“Ok, so I’ll get you some food,”

He returned five minutes later with a plate full of all Vegeta’s favourite foods, as he ate Kakarot told him how difficult things were getting over at Freiza’s place, how it was becoming more and more apparent that Freiza had the hots for him. Vegeta kept quite during his words. He knew he couldn’t really get angry or jealous, Kakarot is doing a job, and a very challenging one at that, it would be ridiculous to scrap the whole plan and get Kakarot back here effective immediately just coz a guy was coming on to him a bit, I mean its not like anything would actually happen between the two of them. Even as Vegeta thinks this he knows it is not technically true, turning Lord Freiza down may not be a valid option for his lover, he almost hates himself for asking this question, but he must know

“You haven’t………done anything have you?”

“What do you mean?”

“With Lord Freiza, you haven’t touched him, have you?”

“No” he answers seeing the envy all over his partners face, it hurt him to have to say this to him but he knew it was a real possibility “But, if he comes on to me, it might not be wise for me to turn him down, I need to hold my position you know. I don’t want to but….”

“I know, I know I get that, I’m just being silly, ignore me” Vegeta waves his hand dismissively “I know you have to do what you have to do, I’m just getting myself worked up, the thought of him….and you,” He speaks through clenched teeth, feeling psychically sick

“Look, I’m going to do my best to avoid it ok, I really don’t want to go there. But even if I must remember it’s just a job, I’ll do it if I have to, but I am here because I want to be. I will always be yours no matter what happens” Kakarot feathers little kisses all over Vgetea’s face, causing him so smile “Come on you’ve finished eating let’s get in the shower and get you to sleep,” Kakarot holds out his hand for Vegeta to take and leads him to the on-suite shower room. He sets the temperature to scalding, he knows his king likes his showers super-hot.

Kakarot gets in with him, lathering up a sponge and lovingly washing each part of Vegeta’s body, taking extra care of all his tension spots, his shoulders, his lower back, his butt. He worked the knots out of his muscles and helped him to relax. Vegeta lapped up the positive attention, it felt really good to have the other man’s hands all over him, this is just what he needed, a soothing shower and a full body massage, perfect. He can think of only one thing that would make this shower better.

He turned to face his lover moving close and kissing his chest, which is all he can reach with their height difference, his hands roam the taller man’s body, squeezing and caressing as they go. Kakarot can feel that his lover is horny, and he is pleased about that coz he is too

“How do you want it?” Kakarot asked as he always did, their relationship was totally led by the King, as it should be. Kakarot knew his place, he was lucky to be Vegeta’s consort and would never dream of over stepping boundaries.

He sees Vegeta thinking, with out a word he turns around and grinds his wet butt against Kakarot, I guess that is his answer, he wants to bottom today, and that suits Kakarot fine, he is always happy to fuck his King. There is noting he enjoys more than being the cause of his pleasure.  
He bends the smaller mans body over, one hand on the back of his neck, pushing down, his slick body, his smooth flawless skin in front of him, he is free to do whatever he pleases with this man. He would love to spend hours lavishing affection on him, but he knows that isn’t a good idea right now, the king needs his beauty sleep. He skips the foreplay, lining up and carefully sliding it inside his partner, savouring the sound of his moans as he starts to move, quickening his pace to match the intensity of his king’s noises.

Vegeta has always been very vocal in bed, its one of the things that turns Kakarot on the most about him. he is a true ruler in every sense of the word, and he isn’t afraid to bark out orders in any part of his life

“Harder, deeper, can you not fuck me so gently Kakarot for fuck sake I’m not a china doll,” The frustration was clear in his tone, he needed it rough, really rough, whenever he was stressed he needed that harsh treatment to satisfy his needs.

Kakarot bent down scooping his king up in his arms and giving him everything he has, ploughing into him again and again loving the way he screams for him. in this position it takes no time at all before he feels Vegeta’s body twitch and he knows he is close, he bucks a few more times until he too reaches his climax, both men sighing in ecstasy.  
Vegeta seems in a much better mood as Kakarot dries his skin and leads him to bed, laying with him for 20 mins until he is sure he is fast asleep, then getting dressed and sneaking out the same way he came in. he didn’t want to leave, he wanted nothing more than to stay in Vegeta’s arms till morning, watching the beautiful ruler as he slept, soothing away any worries that might haunt his dreams. Waking up with Vegeta still tight in his arms like he used to do. But duty calls, he cannot be noticed as missing from Freiza’s headquarters.

Little does he know; his absence has already been realised. Freiza gave one of his best men the task of following Goku, he failed of course, he lost him before they even left the building, but he still knew that Goku


	7. Chapter 7

Project Ajax Chapter 7

The battle rages on around him, just as bloody and desperate as ever, but for the first time since the war started Trunks feels safe, with Gohan at his side he will almost definitely make it back, as will probably 70% of his men. Gohan is a beast, a wonderful, beautiful beast, who is making it seem as though they could actually win this. Gohan has brought hope to many of the men.

The death rates are dropping drastically, they were gaining ground on the floor, the tunnels underground were nearly finished, they were actually killing Freiza Force soldiers for once rather than just holding them off, Gohan was a god send and Trunks thanked him every day for all the good he was doing.

They advance up the battlefield, Gohan has found a panel from the side of a tank that was partially submerged in the mud, the people who had been inside had long abandoned it. Gohan had pulled the panel from the side with ease and was now using it as a shield for himself, Trunks and three other soldiers that had clung to Gohan for safety, Tom a Saiyan soldier who had proved his worth many a time, Trunks thought very highly of him. Bardock, a burly Saiyan warrior who had seen more battle that anyone here and who always lived to tell the tale, he is also the father of Kakarot, the guy who Trunks knows his father is in love with. Everyone knows really, they all just pretend they don’t. it’s not something Bardock ever wants to speak about. And Dan, a huge human man who should not be able to keep up with all these Saiyan’s but somehow does, he goes out on the battle field every day and somehow keeps coming back alive, and each time he does Trunks can’t help but smile a little wider. Dan is one hell of a soldier and Trunks is feeling ever more hopeful that he might see him make it to the end of this war. Gohan ran fast, but not as fast as he could, he knows the regular humans and Saiyan’s will not be able to keep up with him, so he matched his pace to theirs.

Bullets whiz passed them and tinny pings echo around them loudly as bullets ricochet off the metal that is protecting them. Sometimes Trunks can even see a small mark being made on the inside of the metal where the bullet had hit on the outside, still he is less afraid than he was before, he had full faith in Gohan to protect him.

They made it to the first enemy post and Gohan wasted no time in killing the two gunmen who were there, slicing ones throat without a seconds hesitation, not even flinching as the blood sprayed out, dampening his own clothes along with the dead mans. The next he simply shot point blank in the head, a much quicker way to die, but still far from pleasant, his brains splattered on the floor behind him. Gohan put his gun away without any expression on his face at all. Trunks was glad that Gohan was here, he hated killing. He knew it had to be done, it was kill or be killed in a warzone but that didn’t make it weigh any lighter on Trunks’ conscious. Gohan didn’t have a conscious, that had been stolen away from him by his parents so that now human life had no value to him. it was incredibly sad, but still Trunks was pleased he didn’t have to do what Gohan just did. It was an uncomfortable feeling.

His little team gather in the dip their enemy’s bodies still lay dead in, none of the men pay any mind to the bodies, they are all so used to death.

“Ok we should head back, we’ve made our presence known, we don’t want to push our luck” Trunks tells the group of brave men. It’s difficult to remember sometimes that they are only here as a distraction, if they go too far up the field and get themselves killed it is all for nothing. The real advancement is still taking place safely underground, far away from the bullets and blood. These two members of the Freiza force will likely not be missed by the high ups, but there will be an officer somewhere mourning their loss, a family ay home possibly that will never see their son, father, husband again. Such a shame, all for the sake of land and power, a pointless war with a pointless cause and yet so many men have died, and so many still will, this fight was far from finished.

“Agreed,” Gohan said, picking up his slab of metal ready to shield the team on their way back to the safety of their own trench. They climb out of the hole and make their way over the squelchy terrain, their boots treading on even amounts of mud, debris and dead bodies as they walk, the occasional ting, of metal against metal as the bullets hit their makeshift shield reminding them that just coz they are retreating they are still not safe.

“Keep close to me” Gohan said, noticing that Tom had strayed a little too far out. His words came a little too late for as Tom moved in a little a bullet sailed through his back, making a swift exit through his chest, blood spilling spraying outward like a morbid waterfall as an ear-splitting scream filled the air around them. Time seemed to move in slow motion as He dropped to the floor, struggling to breath, a sickening wheezy sound pouring from his throat as the blood poured from his chest, the bullet probably pierced a lung. Trunks paused for a brief moment, shocked into motionless, but only for a moment

“Fuck, Tom, No No” Trunks shouts in pure desperation. He rushes to Tom’s side and kneels down in the mud trying to put pressure on the wound, his hands stained with red in an instant, the scarlet fluid bubbling through his shaking fingers

“We need to go, officer Trunks” Gohan says calmly “Or we will all end up like that”

“What are you crazy, were not leaving here without Tom, help me pick him up” Trunks yells, tears filling his eyes, but not spilling, he will save that for when he is alone 

“Officer Trunks, with his blood loss and breathing difficulties, he will only live for another five minutes, seven at most. It will take us more than double that time to get him back to the trench and some medical help. Bringing him with us is not logical, and will only slow our retreat, placing you at a far higher risk,” Gohan explains, wondering why Trunks can’t figure that out himself

“Fuck Logic and fuck the risk to me. If you won’t help me, I’ll carry him alone,” Trunks shouts, the tears silently streaming down his face as he comes to terms with the fact he is about to lose another man, try as he might he can’t hold the tears back, another man lost, another friend. He lifts the larger man into his arms and stumbles forward with him

“You are upset?” Gohan asks

“No shit sherlock” Trunks snaps back still struggling to walk, and making sure he stays behind Gohan’s shield

“Give him to me” Gohan says. He easily carries Tom in one arm and his metal barrier in the other. He cannot understand this situation, it is completely illogical to carry a dead man home, but he knows he does not want Trunks to be upset. It makes him feel uneasy to see the man he is programmed to serve cry; he wants to see him smile. He would love to hear him laugh. Trunks’ happiness makes his tummy flutter. He is not sure if this is part of his programming, probably.

They made it back to their own safety and were greeted by the other men who had already got back. Everyone was always incredibly pleased to see Trunks return, he was thought of very highly throughout the ranks. They were probably even more pleased to see Gohan return. It was difficult to be friends with Gohan, he does not understand boundaries or feelings, but people were still pleased he was there despite his strange ways, he was keeping people alive and keeping morale up.

“Quick, I need a medic, bandages, water, MEDIC” Trunks declared urgently shouting to grab all the attention he could get

“None of that will be necessary I’m afraid, office Trunks,” Gohan interjected quietly, he knew what he was about to say would be upsetting for the officer, he just hoped he could comfort him sufficiently, he carefully placed Tom’s body on the hard ground

“What do you mean?” Trunks asked, he didn’t really have to ask he knew exactly what Gohan meant, he just didn’t want to know, the words just came freely from his mouth, hoping he would hear a different answer to the one he was almost certainly about to hear

“Tom died about half a mile back. I didn’t mention it as I did not want to upset you further,” Gohan explains quietly

“No, he can’t have died, he is one of my strongest men, you must have made a mistake. You’re not a doctor how could you possibly tell if he is dead or unconscious” Trunks walks over to kneel an Tom’s side again, he places a hand of his stone cold cheek, there is no rise and fall of his chest, there is no light in his open eyes, he is clearly dead

“I’m really sorry Trunks,” Gohan places a hand, he hopes of reassurance, on Trunks’ shoulder

“So, you just carried a dead man all the way back here?” closing Tom’s eyes and then sitting against the wall, sighing with defeat, a feeling of sadness taking him over “Just to keep me happy?”

“Yes, officer Trunks, leaving this man behind seemed to have a negative effect on your emotions,”

“Yeah, it really did. Thanks Gohan, at least we can give him a proper burial now, and send his dog tags home to his family” He leans forward and removed the chain carefully from around the dead mans neck, his heart sinking all over again as he feels the icy touch of cold lifeless skin

“I am happy to be of assistance to you Officer Trunks”

“Please Gohan just call me Trunks, there’s no need for all the formality, were all the same rank out here. You can be a corporal an officer or a high ranking general, out here you are still just collateral”

“If you are sure. Trunks, I will call you whatever you prefer,” Gohan answers. Trunks smiles at how awkward Gohan sounds and Gohan mimics his expression, smiling back, it looks uncomfortable. Trunks lets out a deep sigh

“you want me to take him to the mortuary” Dan asks, pointing to Tom’s body. They call it the mortuary but actually it’s just a little dug out with a doctor inside. He waits there for people to bring him bodies. He declares them dead, writes down their name if it is known and the cause of death. After that someone takes the body away and throws it into a muddy pit. A most unceremonious resting place for such a brave person.

“Yes, please sergeant dan, that will be helpful,”

“I can take him if you want, I can carry him much easier” Gohan offers. Dan awaits Trunks’ answer

“No, let Dan take him. you stay here with me; I need the company right now” Trunks admits. He doesn’t like to show weakness but to Gohan it doesn’t matter because he doesn’t truly understand it anyway, and he doesn’t have the capacity to judge him for it. The last thing Trunks needs is to be left alone with his thoughts, his own mind is a terrifying place right now and he is happy to have Gohan beside him.

Dan lifts the body and walks off down the slanted tunnels that they call home, Trunks watches him go, his heart throbbing rather than beating.

“When will you stop feeling upset?” Gohan asks, he hopes it isn’t too long. He knows it is normal for a person to mourn the death of another, but his data tells him nothing of time scales

“Its hard to say Gohan, it will be much less time if you don’t speak about it though. Just talk to me about something else please. Something menial,” Trunks requests  
Gohan is not great at small talk but he tries his best

“what is your favourite food?” he knows Saiyan’s love their food

“Mmmm I’m a real carnivore, any roasted meat is good for me. Its been so long since I had any really good food, I’ve almost forgotten the taste, I’d give anything for some meat right now He smiles a little as he reminisces  
“hmm, noted. I am rather partial to cornflakes” Gohan tells him

“I love cornflakes too, with a shit ton of sugar on top”

“Sugar? Why on earth would one add sugar to an already sweet cereal?” Gohan’s face is a picture of bafflement

“Cornflakes are not sweet, what are you on about,” Trunks smiles as he speaks, this normal conversation is making him feel almost normal.

“I find them sweet, though I have never tried sugar, not that I can remember anyway”

“Oh man you don’t know what you are missing. I tell you what, when we make it out of here I’m gonna make you a bowl of cornflakes, ice cold milk, and five tablespoons of sugar, you will never look back,” He chuckles, here he is, a grown man fantasizing about a breakfast cereal, it’s the simple things in life.

“I will hold you to that” Gohan answers, loving the sound of the smaller man’s chuckle


	8. Chapter 8

Project Ajax chapter 8

Trunks had no idea how long he had slept for, but he woke up warm and comfortable, a feeling that was unfamiliar in the cold wet trenches. It didn’t take him long to realise why, he was sleeping on Gohan, his head gently resting on the huge man’s chest, enclosed in his thick warm arms, and covered with his jacket for extra heat. It was the best sleep he had had in a long time.

He tried to ignore the awkwardness of their position, of course Gohan wouldn’t understand the intimacy of this situation, his logical mind would only be thinking of making Trunks warm and comfortable while he slept, nothing more, he looked up to find Gohan staring down at him

“Good morning, you slept very soundly,” Gohan says

“I did, thank you, you didn’t have to cuddle me all night,” Trunks chuckles, trying to make light of the moment

“You began to shiver around midnight, holding your body close to mine stopped your shivering and made it possible for you to have a better night’s sleep. I have a built-in body temperature regulator, so I was able to lift my temperature to warm you” 

“Of course, you do” Trunks didn’t really know what to say to that, but he smiled warmly.

“Wowie,” a female voice interrupts their quiet conversation

“Officer Trunks, I heard rumours that you had some kind of robot man helping you out but I had no idea if it was true or not…..seems it is,” Caulifla strides over

“You are still alive?” Trunks exclaims happily, shifting off Gohan’s lap

“Seems that way, I suppose your chances of being killed have dropped too with this machine at your disposal?” She gestures to Gohan.

Trunks tries to hide the annoyance in his voice but doesn’t do a particularly good job of it

“He is not a machine; he is an enhanced man” he snaps

“You can say that again, I didn’t realise he would be so hot, is he enhanced anywhere else” She enquires crudely, her eyes falling to the large bulge in the front of Gohan’s combat trousers, her eyebrows raising and her smile broadening. Trunks sighs, he is used to the fact that most soldiers are somewhat crude, and he doesn’t blame them, they are stuck out here miles away from home and their families, why not have a little joke and a laugh. But for some reason, coming from a woman, and being directed at Gohan, trunks isn’t so ok with it.

“How should I know; you really think that the first thing I thought of was sex? I’m not that low” he says sternly, his comment a slight dig at her.

Gohan didn’t understand the conversation before Trunks mentioned sex, if someone speaks indirectly he often cant follow the conversation but once Trunks said a word he understood, he can figure out what the female soldier is asking, and is all to happy to answer her question

“I do in fact, have enhanced genetalia. Should Officer Trunks ever require any sexual gratification I am fully equipped to fulfil any of his desires, the doctor who enhanced me really thought of everything,” Gohan tells her enthusiastically, his face aglow with pride. Trunks puts his head in his hands, how embarrassing, why would his mother, of all people, think of that. Disgusting

“Oh really, do tell me more” Caulifla asks, loving this whole scenario, she can see that trunks is embarrassed, but she didn’t realise he was getting upset, she never wanted to upset him, she held a lot of respect for this man, he is her superior officer and a great inspiration to her, she was just trying to have some fun, a little banter, she never meant to upset him.

“Does it vibrate? Please tell me it vibrates” She asks with a giggle

“It does not, should it? I’m sure I can look into making it vibrate if you feel that would make it better?” Gohan answers looking concerned, also not understanding that this conversation was anything but completely normal. He does not understand private stuff, everything is just fact to his mind.  
“HOW CAN YOU LAUGH AT THIS” Trunks yells, stopping her giggling in an instant

“This is not a joke, there is nothing funny here. This is a sick and quite perverted experiment, performed by a ruler deluded enough to think that turning a human into a weapon with no emotions and no true feelings is ok. How can you be ok with that? How can you laugh? THIS IS NOT OK,” he screams, pointing to Gohan before stomping away.  
His blood boiled through his veins, why did no one else seem to see the inhumanity, the pure selfishness of his father’s act. He stole that man’s life away, he is a murderer, not just of Gohan but of the thousands upon thousands of men he sends to die every day. His heart is racing, his anger causing his blood to pump faster and faster. How he wishes he could get out of this trench, walk for miles in the fields to clear his mind, and refresh his spirit, but he is stuck between these mud walls, the fields above him have not a scrap of grass left, every ounce of beauty evaporated, destroyed and replaced by shit, all for the sake of man’s greediness. Even the sky above him seems to have lost it is blue, it is replaced by a drab and dreary grey, overcast and dark, just like everything else here. With a grunt of effort and anger he hurled his fist at the wall, punching it with everything he had. He swears he felt a knuckle crack, he clutches his hand in pain and sits down against the wall, feeling silly that he let his fury get the better of him. 

He should not have shouted at caulifla that way, he was supposed to be an officer, show no emotion and stay behind his team no matter what, not yell at them for making crude jokes, he lets out a deep, sad sigh, feeling like he has made a terrible mistake, its his dad he is annoyed at not anyone else, he shouldn’t take it out on them. The more his rage subsided the worse he feels for the way he handles the situation, Caulifla was just having some fun, he shouldn’t have taken that moment of normality from her.  
“Trunks?” A quite vice speaks at his left

“Yes Gohan” He answers gently, not looking up as the huge man sits down beside him

“I have angered you” he states

“No Gohan, not at all. I’m angry about what they did to you, but not by you or at you, I will never be angry at you,” Trunks explains “What my father did to you was wrong, he should have left you as a man”

“But I wouldn’t be such an asset to you if I was just a man”

“How do you know? None of us even know who you were, that’s wrong, and I’m sorry they did this to you” Trunks says earnestly

Gohan sits in silence for a few moments, thinking about all that Trunks has just said

“Your earlier statement was incorrect,” He finally says

“What one?”

“You told the female I have no emotions or feelings, that is incorrect. I feel. To see you sad, makes my heart feel heavy. To see you sleeping soundly last night made my chest feel warm, and to see you fight on the battlefield makes my body tingle. I don’t have a name for any of these feelings, but they are very much there,” Gohan falls silent again.  
Trunks does not really know how to answer this. He, of course recognises the first two emotions as sad and happy, but the last he isn’t to sure, excitement perhaps? Didn’t his father say he had removed his capacity for feelings. Maybe his mother didn’t do as good a job as she thought because it was noticeably clear that Gohan was still experiencing them. This made Trunks feel a little better, maybe with some help he would be able to experience feelings just like everyone else. Trunks swore to himself at that moment that he would try his best to teach Gohan how to understand what he felt, and how to deal with these new emotions.

“That’s great Gohan, I’m glad, you’ll have to let me know if you feel any more, we can try to figure out the names for them together,” Trunks tries to sound encouraging, he doesn’t want Gohan to feel like he should hide any of his emotions away, he is not a machine, he is a man just like all the other soldiers down here, and he should be treated as one  
“Warrant Officer Trunks,” A different voice calls. He looks up to see one of his father’s generals walking towards him. general Nappa is a mountain of a man, his arms almost as wide as trunks’ waist, his uniform badly fitting despite being the largest it comes in. Nappa had the type of body that looks out of place in most clothes, he is just too big. Anything he wears seems to restrict him, biceps and triceps screaming to be released, looking as though the seams of his outfit will burst at any second to reveal a hulk like body, worthy of a god. Nappa had always made Trunks feel uneasy, since he was a little boy and this war was non-existent. Nappa had looked after Vegeta from when he was a small child, he had been his body guard then and now was not much different, apart from the title of General Nappa’s role had never really changed, he still looked after Vegeta in any way he could

“General Nappa,” Trunks salutes his superior “What brings you down here?”

Trunks can feel Gohan bolstering at his side, he obviously had a bad feeling about the giant man walking over to trunks too, he acts as though everything is normal but in reality he is on high alert, if this man so much as looks at Trunks in the wrong way Gohan is ready to take him down. He will not kill him, he is not programmed to kill anyone of his own side, only the enemy gets that treatment, but that does not stop him punching someone in the face. If Trunks is at risk, he will do whatever is necessary to protect him

“I have a message from your father” 

“I want to hear nothing from that man, tell him I said to shove it up his…. just tell him I said I don’t want his message, he can leave us alone”

“He thought you may say that, and I was told that if you did you were to be discharged from all duties, with immediate effect,”

“WHAT THE FUCK NAPPA, I CAN’T BE DISCHARGED IM LEADING A BATTLE HERE” He shouts

“No point getting mad at me Trunks, I’m just trying to relay a message,”

“Well then messenger, relay” Trunks snaps, not really caring what his father has to say but prepared to listen if it means holding his position here at Allemere.

“He says he needs to talk to you. He knows you are cross with him but its really quite important. He needs the advice of a soldier on a battle taking place not too far from here. Also, he misses you”

“Ha, misses me, what a joke. Tell him I have no intention of talking to him ever again. If he needs the advice of an amazing soldier there are ten thousand of them down in this shit pit, choose one. And as for discharging me from my duties, you would have to drag my dead body from this place to make me leave, now if you don’t mind Nappa, I have men to try and keep alive,” He stands and strides away proudly

“Come on Gohan,” He says over his shoulder without looking back. He hears the footsteps on the wet floor as Gohan follows behind him, and Nappa leaves.


	9. Chapter 9

Project ajax chapter 9

Kakarot stealthed back to his room at Freiza’s place, the long dark service corridors seem ghostly at this hour, haunted, the uncarpeted floor causing even his soft footsteps to echo through the eerie emptiness reminding him how alone he is here. This is the fourth night in a row he has gone to help Vegeta get off to sleep, insomnia becoming a real issue for the king, it seems the only way he can drift into a peaceful sleep is if Kakarot holds him tight. Lack of sleep can have terrible effects on a man, when he has a war to strategize he needs to have his head firmly on his shoulders, but also Kakarot just cant bear the thought of Vegeta fretting and worrying all night, so he goes there, stays for a few hours, gives his king what he needs and leaves again. It’s risky but worth it to make sure his king isn’t getting too stressed. Trunks still wont speak to him, that’s a big source of anger for Vegeta, and he needs to get his anger over that out of his system, and if fucking Kakarot into submission helped then he was more than happy to comply. In fact, he loved nothing more that to be the Kings stress relief in whatever form that took, he would do anything to keep him happy.

His ass still felt nicely sore from its rough treatment just an hour before as he entered his plainly decorated bedroom and turned the light on, he didn’t go in for all that fancy stuff like lord Freiza did. This place was like an elaborate palace rather that an army headquarters

“Jesus” He squealed as the light made visible a figure on his bed, Freiza, how long had he been there? Why was he there? He sat on the bed, a calm, blank expression on his pretty face

“Lord Freiza, why are you sitting in the dark in my room?” Kakarot asked confused, rapidly trying to make up a plausible story in his head as to why he was absent for a couple of hours. He needs to come up with a believable excuse

“Where have you been Goku?” the ruler asks in a low, level tone, raising from the bed and walking slowly around Kakarot, its quite intimidating, Freiza knows that, he does it on purpose, he likes to make people feel nervous around him and right now he needs to test Goku, he has a proposition for him that he hopes the other man will accept.   
The spy feels nervousness creeping over his body, 100 needle points each a different worry burrowing deep into his skin, his stomach is doing summersaults, but on the surface he is calm and steady, ready to act like an honest and confident ally to this man. He smiles a widely, making his face look open and friendly

“I often go for a walk around the grounds when I can’t sleep, if you sit out in the dark for long enough you can see the foxes out playing in the rose bushes, I like to watch them,” He says with a shrug and a sheepish smile. That story works, there are foxes out there, he knows as he can hear them screaming of a nigh time, and if he is outside watching them, he could easily have sat there for 2 hours. Its not the best alibi in the world but it works

“I do hope you’re not trying to make a fool of me Goku, I am fond of you and it would be a bad move on your part to destroy that fondness” Freiza hisses, his red eyes narrowed to little more that slits in his face. He looks frightening, but still incredibly attractive

“Lord Freiza, I am fond of you too and I assure you I have no intentions of making a fool of you. If you prefer, I will stop stepping out the watch the foxes, or perhaps you could accompany me nest time. Do you like animals?” Goku says sounding earnest

“Not necessary, just know that I am watching you very closely. I like you Goku and I would be extremely disappointed to find out you were betraying me, also, no I despise all animals”

“I would never betray you Lord Freiza” Kakarot answers wondering how anyone can not like any animals, this guy is more of a psychopath than he thought.

“Good, so how about since you are struggling to sleep so much you come to my quarters with me for a little nightcap” Freiza suggests, a slight twinkle in his eye that makes Kakarot sure he has an ulterior motive. He wants to say no, he really does but he cannot risk angering Freiza right now, he is already on thin ice, he can’t risk his position, so with a nod of his head he agrees.

“That sounds great”

Freiza’s private quarters are noticeably more elaborate than the rest of the building, everything is gold and velvet and silk, it verges on tacky because its just so over the top. Kakarot is offered a chair at a small table while Freiza pours them both a drink, straight cognac with ice, Kakarot can’t drink too many of those if he wants to keep his head on his shoulders, he cant afford to get drunk and say something he shouldn’t.

Freiza joins him at the table, handing him a sparkling cut crystal glass that obviously cost an absolute fortune, Kakarot must be careful not to drop it, it would be just his clumsy style to break such an expensive looking cup

“Cheers” Freiza holds up his glass which glints even in the dim light of the huge room “To a war as good as won” he says his thick lips becoming an inviting smile

“Cheers” Kakarot touches their glasses together, hating the fact that he is toasting an idea he abhors more than anything. He imagines himself telling Freiza to shut up, punching him right in the perfect face and shouting that his war would be lost and the Saiyan’s would triumph over the Freeza force, he cannot say or do these things out loud of course but just the thought of them are enough to make him smile widely. He hopes that the smile looks genuine enough to fool Freiza into thinking he was backing him, that he really wanted the Freiza force to take over the country of Vegeta.

“So Goku, what are your plans once all this is over, it shouldn’t be too long now. When you no longer have to be a warrior, what would you like to do?” another question that makes him smile. He can go back to his king, back to the arms in which he belongs, back to his normality which he misses so much. He would give anything to be able to wake up next to Vegeta again, instead of just sneaking around to see him in the night-time.

“I’m not sure Lord Freiza, I have no family awaiting my return. What will you do?”

“I’ll have a lot of work to do, a lot of new people to rule over. It would be easier to do if I had a good partner by my side, someone I could trust, Goku, would you stay by my side, stand with me? We could rule together. I think very highly of you Goku, and I would hate to see you leave once this ordeal is over” He says reaching across the table to place his hand gently on Goku’s arm.

Kakarot has been dreading this moment, he knew it was coming, Freiza made no secret that he had taken a shine to Goku, everyone knew. Kakarot knew he had to agree, he couldn’t fall out of the leader’s favour. He looks coyly into Freiza’s eyes, trying to look a little shy. He is an outstanding actor

“I must admit that sounds very agreeable” Kakarot chuckles, smiling at Freiza as if he really meant what he was saying and placing a hand on top of his, holding his gaze and blinking slowly

“I was hoping you would say that,” Freiza answered his smile even wider that Kakarot’s, it was a rare thing to see Freiza pull a genuine happy smile, most of his grins were due to him doing something evil, never a kind smile on his face. This was the first time Kakarot has seen a genuine, good intentioned smile on Freiza, he almost felt bad for what he was doing, but not quite, if anyone deserved the pain of heartbreak it was this man. He had caused more pain and hurt than anyone else Kakarot could think of, it served him right to have a little taste of his own medicine.

“To us then” Freiza lifts his glass again and Goku once more taps the glasses together, never taking his eyes off Freiza’s, acting as though he was incredibly happy with this exchange and also incredibly attracted to the evil man who sat in front of him looking vulnerable for the first time ever

“To us” He agrees before taking a large gulp of his drink, his ass was already sore from Vegeta’s rough treatment, if he was going to have to sleep with Freiza tonight he was gonna have to be more that a bit tipsy. He had a feeling Freiza wasn’t a bottom, he also didn’t look like the type to like it gentle. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that, but Kakarot knew he was just wishful thinking, he was about to get fucked by the enemy. His skin crawled and he felt psychically sick but, on the surface, not an ounce of that was visible.

“I’ve waited a long time for this” Freiza said is soft seductive tones, taking the glass from Kakarot’s hand and leaning forward, pressing his cold dark lips into the other mans. Kakarot didn’t flinch, he had to fight all of his instincts not to but he managed it, he leaned into the kiss and made a small moan of appreciation just to make Freiza think that he too had been waiting a long time. He closed his eyes and thought about Vegeta. He imagined he was kissing the love of his life, it made things just a tad more bearable.

Miles away Vegeta awoke with a start, when he fell asleep Kakarot had been beside him. he was not sure what woke him up but now he was alone in the dark with only un uneasy feeling in his chest to keep him company.

“Kakarot?” He whispered into the darkness that surrounded his bed, there was no answer, the other man was no longer in his bed, Vegeta had never felt his absence more strongly, the space in the bed where his lover should be felt like a void, a black hole sucking in all traces of happiness and joy. Vegeta felt it in his bones that something was astray, he didn’t know what, but he knew, with no reason or logic, that something was wrong.

He tossed and turned for the rest of the night, unable to shake the sinking feeling deep within him, the feeling so heavy it could not be ignored. Eventually he got out of his bed that no longer felt comfortable, and he went to make a coffee at 5am, giving up on sleep, knowing it would only evade him until Kakarot was back in his arms, back where he belonged. He hoped more than ever that Kakarot would return soon, he even left his window open.


	10. Chapter 10

Project Ajax chapter 10

For once, no mans land is quiet, a temporary truce has been called while they clear away at least some of the bodies and bury the ones we can save. There are too many to bury each of these individually, as sad as it is, it will be a mass grave for these poor souls, they will be preserved now only in someone’s memory, there will be no stone or cross bearing their name. it saddens Trunks to his core.

A waggon pulled by two smooth brown horses is piled high with over 20 bodies, the smell is atrocious but he soldiers on anyway, he considers himself lucky to be surrounded by death and stench, he could have it worse, he could be bundled on the waggon like these other guys, never smelling anything again, heading for a 30 foot wide ditch. Yes, he is lucky. 

“I have found another” Gohan’s voice drifts to him, he sees Gohan lift a nearly full body from the mud. You can barely tell if it is a man or a woman, every inch and every feature is caked in thick brown mud. It doesn’t matter, he tells Gohan to throw it on the waggon. The corpse wears no dog tags so they will never know who this brave person was. Just another nameless soldier to add to the thousands of others.

This week was worse that all the others, every Sunday they have an hour’s truce. Both sides come out to collect their dead. They all stay on their side of the wire, but Trunks knows that not all the bodies he has collected are from his own side. He has seen some freiza force solders collecting Saiyan bodies too, treating them with the same respect as any other fallen man. For this one hour a week they are not beasts locked in a bloody battle, they are men, men who have loved and lost, fought, and died, grieved, and cried for each other. Some of the remains Trunks is lifting from the ground could possibly have been his own victims. People he himself killed in cold blood all in the name of honour, but right now that didn’t matter, they were but men, dead men, that deserved respect and as decent a burial as they can manage here is this hellhole.

“Trunks we need to be quick, we have only ten minutes to get these bodies to the grave and return to our trench,” Gohan informs him. Trunks is growing ever fonder of having Gohan around over the past few weeks. He is not just a soldier and an amazing ally but also a friend, an exceptionally good friend. The emotional barrier between them seems to lift a little more every day, the more they learn about each other the more they come to understand each other’s feelings, or lack of, it is fast blossoming into a very close relationship.

“Ok Gohan, give me hand with this guy” He calls over struggling to pull a surprisingly intact body from the mud. He wonders how this poor man died, he didn’t seem to be wounded, maybe he just got stuck in the mud and starved to death, surrounded by blood and mayhem, what a way to go. Trunks pulled as hard as he could but couldn’t get the earth to give up its grip on the deceased soldier. The mud ran so deep in some areas it was like glue, once you were in it there was no getting out.

Gohan walked over, he liked it when he was able to help Trunks, it always made him smile when Trunks asked for his assistance. Trunks was a proud man, he did not like to admit when he could not do something, Gohan had never seen him ask anyone else for help in any way, but with Gohan, he asked a lot. And Gohan loved it. He loved it when He was needed, he loved it when he could make Trunks smile, or when the officer slept on his chest as he does most nights now, when they sat late into the night and talked for hours, Gohan was the only person Trunks felt he could open up to, he could admit how afraid he was and not feel like a failure or a let-down. Their bond had grown extraordinarily strong.

He easily lifted the body up with one hand, the mud barely hindering him at all, his strength was off the chart.

“Thanks you big show off” Trunks chuckled slapping Gohan softly on the arm, it was funny how much Gohan put him to shame, had he been a regular man Trunks would be embarrassed, Gohan threw the body as gently as he could onto the waggon then he stopped.

Something was not right, alarm bells were going off in all his senses, something was different. He looked over across enemy lines, the land there was totally empty. Why had they retreated early?

It took Gohan a while to register what the threat was, he knew it was there, but he had to run through a few mental check lists before he could put his finger on exactly what it was. He switched his eyes to macro and saw that the whole landscape was fast filling with a yellow fog, invisible to Saiyan eyes, but he could see it. What could this be? His mind drastically sorted through data base after data base until he finally came up with something that fit the description.

“What’s that weird smell?” Trunks said before his face contorted and he started to cough violently

“Mustard gas” Gohan shouted grabbing trunks and rushing towards the safety of their trench, hopefully they could find some gas masks there until the mist had evaporated.

As he ran Trunks was struggling more and more to breath, tears streaming down his face, his eyes turning a deeper shade of red every second. Gohan did the only thing he could think of to do. He has a slight filter built into his own respiratory system, if he could breath for trunks, they could both benefit from it

“My apologies officer Trunks,” He uttered a chaste apology before placing his open mouth over Trunks’ mouth and nose. Inhaling through his nose and breathing out through his mouth so that Trunks did not have to breath in the gas. 

Trunks was happy for the relief, the gas scorched his throat to the point where breathing was white hot agony, he could no longer see through his eyes that had fast become a watery blur, lights and shapes being all he could make out as he was carried across the battle field

“My men” he tried to speak but couldn’t for as soon as Gohan removed his mouth from Trunks the burning started again, his throat feels as though razors are slicing through the flesh, hot, fire is all he could think. He pulled Gohan back to him, breathing in the warm yet safe air he provided  
After what felt like forever Trunks felt the jolt of Gohan jumping into their trench, thank god, for a moment there Trunks was sure he was going to suffocate out there.

Water was held to his lips and with difficulty, he drank it in, his lips felt as though they were not his own, so cracked and dry, trembling so much a lot of water fell onto his chest, leaving a splatter in the mud that was already there. His clothes were removed, and cool water poured onto his charring skin.

“Thank you,” He rasped, his throat full of barbed wire and glass

“The bastards,” He wheezed, drinking down more water, enjoying the momentary relief as Gohan wrung a cloth out over his forehead. He hears Gohan raising the alarm, telling all the men here to put on their gas masks, make sure every man in the trench has his mask on. Trunks knows he can Trust Gohan to do his job, right now he needs to concentrate on breathing a task that was taking up every single ounce of his energy.

“The bastards,” He repeats tears of pain and frustration pouring down his cheeks, wetting the black gas mask that Gohan must have strapped onto his face. He can’t believe they didn’t wait for the battlefield to be clear after the clean-up. The sneaky fuckers broke the truce. Trunks could hear other soldiers coughing and gasping around him, it seems not everyone got their masks on in time

“Fucking freiza force” he rasped in anger

“Stop talking, just concentrate on breathing for me ok” Gohan’s calming voice pulled him from his rage filled Fury, his hands rubbing lotion onto his skin, making his pain subside a small amount

“Here, this will help,” Gohan says and Trunks feels a cold wet cloth being placed soothingly over his closed eyes, or at least he thinks they are closed, its hard to tell as they are so blurred and watery

“Thank you Gohan,”

“Stop talking please” he repeats, wringing out another cloth onto what little bits of skin are exposed from behind the gas mask, he will do anything to try to make Trunks feel better. Its obvious that he will be out of action for a day or so, the skin on his hands looks a little blistered, he would find it difficult to shoot a gun it that state, rendering him useless until, the skin heals. There is a dugout in this trench that they use as a makeshift medical bay, it is pretty basic, it has a few beds and some bandages and ointment. At least Trunks could relax in one of the beds. He scooped the officer up in his arms and walked towards the dugout.

Gohan could lead the next few battles while Trunks healed up, and when he wasn’t out on the battlefield, filling in for his injured officer he would be right at his side, doing all he could to make him well once more.


	11. Chapter 11

Project Ajax chapter 11 

“I am pleased to report that the tunnels are mere days away from completion your majesty, I went today and saw for myself, they are magnificent and will almost certainly win us that battle,” General Nappa informed the kind proudly, his face glowing with happiness that his idea would be the one to win that battle and get them a whole lot closer to winning the war. 

“I’m pleased to hear it; do we have a more exact time frame” Vegeta asks looking up from the paperwork that he has been given to look over, the ghost of a smile at his lips

“just 4 or 5 days your majesty” he beams

“Well done Nappa, that’s great news. I see the daily death toll has lowered substantially, is there a know reason for this?” Vegeta asks feeling happy that less and less of his army are dying and hoping it will be a continuing trend. He hopes this is the beginning of the winds of change

“That is due to the success of Project Ajax, or Gohan as your son insists we call him, quite an amazing piece of equipment. If we could duplicate that procedure, we could have a whole army of near destructible soldiers. I’ve seen him on the field and props to Miss Bulma he is a miracle, Great for you son too they have become very close indeed, even some rumours going around that they are a little too close if you get what I mean” Nappa chuckles, he has heard more than a few rumours that Trunks and Gohan are an item now, he has no idea if there is any truth behind them but no smoke without fire he always thinks.

“hmmm does my son seem happy” Vegeta asks

“The happiest he has been in a very long time,” Nappa answers honestly

“I’m glad, I will look into duplication. The only draw back is that the process has a 0.1% survival rate, Ajax is in fact the 12th man to volunteer for the procedure, the others didn’t make it, and of course its at least 6 months of work to create one soldier” Vegeta muses, weighing up the pros and cons

“In my opinion your majesty it is worth it. While its regrettable that 12 men died to make him, he has more than doubled that in lives he has saved, Officer Trunks included, if it were not for Ajax, he would be dead for sure”

“I see, what happened? Is Trunks ok?” Vegeta tries to keep talk of his son out of these tactical meetings but this sounds serious and he knows none of the generals at his table now will mind

“There was a surprise attack of mustard gas, Trunks was in the middle of it, but Ajax managed to get him back to safety. He is recovering now in the dugout; he will be back on duty from tomorrow” 

“Very good,” Vegeta ends the talk about Trunks “Anything else I need to know about,” He looks at the two men across the table from him

“There is one other thing” Raditz says “There is a town not too far from here, well I say town, its little more than ruins now, but our army there are taking a heavy hit, I feel it would be good to deploy some of the men from Allemere and send them to this town, they really need the backup”

Vegeta thinks for a moment, he really does not want his son stuck in the middle of chemical warfare, if they are using mustard gas, he would really rather get trunks out of there

“Send Ajax” Vegeta suggests confidently “If he is so good at keeping people alive maybe that’s just what they need”

“Yes sir, that would be helpful, but what of Trunks. As I said your son and the machine seem to have formed a strong alliance and I doubt either would be prepared to leave the others side”

“So, send them both then”

“Very good sir,”

“Anything else?”

“No, your majesty,” Both generals answer in unison and give a salute

“That will be all” Vegeta says as a dismissal, turning his attention back to his paperwork. He feels a little relief. A faint light of hope glimmers somewhere inside of him. This time last week he was fairly sure they would lose, now he is feeling much more hopeful, there is still a long way to go but he feels they have a good chance of getting there. With more and more things turning in their favour they could just pull this off. Vegeta longed for the days when his job was fun, pleasurable even. He was the king of a calm and peaceful country. He threw parties and helped people, that was his only job, not this shitshow he was stuck in now. The hope that one day things could once again be that stress free was a small hope, but one that he would cling to regardless, he needed that, he had to feel there was some chance that he might get his life back.

He will have to seriously consider Nappa’s idea of duplicating Ajax, he knows that if Trunks ever found out just how many men had died to produce his super soldier, he would hit the roof, he would totally lose it and most likely never speak to him again. But there is a lot of stuff that Trunks just does not understand. The king has never seen an officer with such compassion, such a desire to preserve human life, his son really was an amazing person, kind and caring to his very core. But this is war, and war is not the place for compassion, in war you have to weigh the pros and cons, you have to think with your head and let your heart lay quiet for a while. Logic wins wars, compassion holds you back and only costs more lives in the long run, maybe Trunks will understand that one day when he becomes king. 

“Your Majesty,” Kakarot bowed low as he entered the room, closing the door behind him

“oh, so you do know how a door works, I was beginning to think you were allergic to them” Vegeta said sarcastically, raising from his chair to put his arms around his consort

“You are a little early today aren’t you” Vegeta asks tiptoeing up to kiss Kakarot’s lips, the king is in high spirits, or more so than he has been for a long time, just that small spark really lifted his mood, and now seeing Kakarot walk into the room even earlier than usual, that is just the cherry on the cake. 

“I’m not staying,” Kakarot answers kissing back, savouring the feel of Vegeta’s lips on his, knowing he probably won’t feel them again for quite a long time. Since his and Freiza’s relationship has become more intimate he knows he will be able to sneak away much less frequently, Freiza will be expecting Goku to share his bed making night time excursions to the palace far too risky, he will have to keep his distance, it’s for the kings safety as much as his own.

“I’m not going to be able to come and see you so often now, Vegeta, my position within Freiza’s ranks has gone up, so he’s going to be watching me a lot harder, I’m sorry Veg,”

Vegeta quickly let’s go of Kakarot, and pushes him away in disgust, he didn’t mean to it was just an automatic reaction. He didn’t need to ask what he meant by his position had “gone up” Kakarot was already in the highest position so he knows this means he is now sharing the Rulers bed. He tries to ignore the raging jealousy coursing through his system. His fist clenches and he breathes slow and steady trying to calm his anger. He knew this could happen, he needs to remember the thoughts he was thinking just moments ago, think with your head, not with your heart, think with your head, not with your heart, that’s the way to win a war.

“I’m so sorry Veg” Kakarot says again, hurt by the way his king recoiled from him as though he was a traitor, or a cheat, he is just doing his job, surely Vegeta of all people should understand that. He can’t bear the thought of Vegeta thinking badly of him 

“I didn’t want to, I kinda had to baby, don’t hate me please,” he begs quietly

“Its fine Kakarot, I could never hate you, we all have to do what we have to do to win this, I’m not even a little bit upset,” He lies, as much as he knows its stupid to be saddened by Kakarot’s actions he can’t help it. Just the thought of Freiza touching what is his makes him shiver with pure hatred, if he ever gets the chance, he will murder that putrid son of a bitch in cold blood and spare not a thought for anything else. He hated Freiza before this, now there was not a word to describe the pure detest he held for the other man. He wished him dead with all of his heart.

“I can pull you out you know, the war will be over soon, we have made a lot of advances recently, you don’t have to go back to him, you can just stay here with me. I’d like that a lot” Vegeta asks

“Don’t be ridiculous, the information I’ve gained in the past has been invaluable, imagine if you pulled me now and we missed something important because of it. I’m fine, stop worrying, it’s a small sacrifice to make compared to all the Saiyan lives I have saved” Kakarot assures him, placing a hand gently on his lover’s cheek

“I’m really sorry you are having to do this Kakarot, I really am, you are a brave warrior and deserve a medal for all that you do,”

“Don’t be sorry, just hurry up and win this war ok, so I can come home to you”

“I’ll do my best,” Vegeta sighed, wishing that Kakarot had agreed to stay with him, he was going to struggle to sleep even more now, knowing that Kakarot was in Freiza’s bed instead of his own where he belonged, what an insult.  
“I gotta go, I’ll be here as soon as I can baby,” Kakarot tells his king heading for the door

“Kakarot,” Vegeta says catching his hand to stop him leaving “I love you” he says fervently, pulling the taller man back to his lips and kissing him deeply, showing with his tongue just how much he means. A small moan escapes Kakarot’s mouth. It isn’t often the king declares his love for Kakarot, he doesn’t go in for all that mush most of the time, but when he does it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world for both men. They kiss for just a short while, neither wanting it to end there but both knowing there were more urgent things to attend to

“I love you too,” Kakarot answers with a sad smile

“Good luck, my Kakarot”

“Also, to you, my King,” he replies and is gone from the room before Vegeta could even blink. The king went back to his desk and held his head in his hands, he just hoped that this would all be over soon. He hopes Ajax can help them win this fast.

Freiza sat on his bike close to the Saiyan HQ. he did not see Goku entre, but he knew this was where he was. He had sent four of his best spies to follow Goku when he left their place and all four had failed, Freiza knew from then that something must be wrong. No regular man can lose someone that easily, so he followed him himself. And here he is.  
Freiza feels silly more than anything else, he did not often grow fond of people, they were disposable to him, but Goku was different. Goku was someone he felt he could trust and eventually love, what a fool he had been. He started his engine and left, heading back to his own HQ where he would wait for Goku to return.


	12. Chapter 12

Project Ajax chapter 12

Trunks woke up in a bed for once, his eyes still closed he couldn’t quite recall where he was. For that blissful few moments, he was safe at home, wrapped in warm blankets. Something deep inside his subconscious spoke to him, stay here, don’t wake up yet, you don’t need to remember where you are just yet. But of course, he ignored his inner voice, he fought his way to consciousness and then it hit him. as soon as the pain in his throat and chest became apparent, he remembered he was still in the trenches, still at war. Oh, how he wished he had paid attention to that little voice, he could still be laying blissfully oblivious now.

He opens his eyes, and immediately sees the one thing that makes this hell a little more bearable

“You have awoken” Gohan states smiling at Trunks “How do you feel?” He asks. Trunks tries to answer but his mouth is like the Sahara Desert, so dry he cannot even get a single word to pass his lips

“You need water” Gohan says matter of factly and moves to pour him a glass. The water is room temperature and tastes of dirt but Trunks is still more than happy to guzzle it down, he feels the water fall all the way down inside him, leaving a cool and soothing feeling everywhere it touched, he finished the whole glass in a matter of seconds

“More?”

“yes please,” He croaked back passing his empty glass back to his friend. After his second glass words would come much easier

“How long have I been here for?” he asks hoping he hasn’t missed too much of the battle, he would hate to leave him men without a leader

“Only for two days, do not panic you only missed one battle, quite a small amount of time considering the amount of gas you consumed. I apologise for not acting faster, I was caught off guard, I should have got you to safety so much faster, I am truly sorry” Gohan has not stopped beating himself up over not seeing the gas before it got to Trunks, if he has just noticed it a minute earlier he could have avoided all this discomfort

“I was out a whole day?” Trunks jumps out of bed, grabbing his jacket from where it has been tidily hung on the back of a chair “I need to get back to my battalion” He panics

“Its fine, don’t rush, everything is under control” Gohan tells him, placing a soothing hand on his arm. Trunks is shocked at how suddenly he feels calm, Gohan’s touch is like a mild sedative to him, he feels instantly settled the moment they touch. Gohan has become his safe place

“Who lead the troops yesterday?” He asks while his body moved towards Gohan’s of its own accord, just trying to feel a little more of that calm

“I did, of course, I covered you while you healed, you can always count on me Trunks”

“I know I can, thank you” Trunks said and as a way of showing his gratitude he put one arm around his friend and squeezed him tight in a manly hug over Gohan’s shoulder his eyes fall onto a few small tiny objects on the table next to where Gohan had been seated, they were all brass and quite elaborate

“What are those?” Trunks asks reaching to pick one up and hold it in the palm of his hand. Admiring its detailed intricacy. It is a picture of a flower, carved expertly into the metal which he assumed correctly was an empty bullet shell. Trunks recognised what flower it was too, a cornflower. 

“That’s my favourite flower, when we first came to Allemere the whole field was covered in them, poppies too, but now you rarely see them, too much mess for anything beautiful to grow,” he reminisced holding the pretty little carving.

His voice was still croaky, but he could speak now. His skin was itchy, but he could still fight, he would be back to his duties today, a little soreness never stopped him before, and he won’t allow it to stop him now

“What do you like about this particular flower?” Gohan asks looking a little confused, he can not understand a preference for one flower over another, do they not all serve the same purpose

“Um…” Trunks is taken aback, he isn’t sure how to explain it “Well, I like the blue colour, and the petals…. it’s pretty isn’t it? That’s why I like it” he does his best to explain

“pretty...” Gohan rolls the word around his mouth “So if a type of thing is pretty it means it is more appealing to your eye, than the other types of the same thing?” he asks still a confused tone to his voice. He looks deep in thought. It seems strange to Trunks that such an easy concept was so hard to grasp for Gohan

“Yeah, exactly”

“hmm. Officer Trunks, your hair colour is very pretty, my eyes find it much more pleasing than the black hair that many of the other Saiyan soldiers possess,” Gohan informs him with a smile.

Trunks feels a slight blush creep across his cheeks, a compliment like this means a lot coming from Gohan, he doesn’t say things that aren’t true just for the sake of saying things. He feels a warm feeling inside him

“Thanks, Gohan, that really means a lot to me” He says giving the other another hug. This time Gohan mirrors his movements, wrapping his arms round Trunks as well. Gohan likes this, he feels his heart rate rising and he isn’t sure why, usually his heart beats like that only when danger is near, when his blood needs the extra adrenalin to keep him alert and make sure there is no damage to Trunks, but now there is no danger, no enemies nearby, they are all alone here. So why does his heart thump in his chest, why do his hands tremble and his stomach wobble as he holds on tight to the smaller man.

Trunks was feeling similar sensations, the difference was, he fully understood them. He was slowly falling for the super soldier, his strength combined with his innocence and caring ways were a cocktail anyone would struggle not to fall for, this man had saved his life on more than one occasion and Trunks owed him everything.

“Trunks, your actions make me feel peculiar, but in a good way…… I think” Gohan explains, he has no idea that what he is feeling might be embarrassing for some to speak so openly about

“I know man, me too, just go with it,” Trunks chuckles, he has become accustomed to speaking openly about absolutely anything, Gohan has no social boundaries and Trunks has had no choice but to get used to it

“Why does this happen?”

“I think its because me and you are starting to like each other more than we used to,” Trunks tells him, stepping back to look up into Gohan’s eyes “We’ll talk about it more when we’re not in the middle of a war ok? We have more important things to think about right now, such as getting back out there to the brave men and women who need out guidance, Right Gohan,”

“Right,” He agrees with a nod. Trunks tip toes up and places a chaste kiss on Gohan’s cheek, he knows he should wait but the idea was too prominent in his mind to ignore

“Let’s go,” He says and moves towards the door, before they can leave Raditz enters the dugout

“Officer Trunks, private Ajax, I have an important message from the king”

“Look Raditz I know you are just doing your job, but I really don’t want to speak to him yet, give me time ok?” Trunks sighs exasperated

“This is a different message, I’m afraid you are both being deployed to a close by town called Dunver, the troops there are in great need of backup and we though Ajax would be perfect to help them out,”

“What, you can’t deploy us now, we are so close to capturing Allemere, I’ve been here for so long, who will lead my Battalion?” Trunks explodes, desperation making him feel helpless and angry

“I NEED TO BE HERE FOR MY MEN RADITZ CAN’T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT” Trunks is furious, he is furious at Raditz, at this whole war, at Freiza, but mostly he is furious at his father

“It’s the kings orders Trunks, I’m sorry,”

“FUCK THE KING, HES A WORTHLESS PIECE OF SHIT,” Trunks flips the small table as he yells, causing all the beautifully carved bullet shells to go scattering into every corner of the sad little room

“FUCK HIM,” He repeats, tears of pure rage spilling from his eyes

“Trunks,” Gohan grasps his friends shoulders stopping his rampage “Listen, we will go there. What difference does it make if we are protecting these men or some others? They are all people; they all need the help of a great leader like you. They will be ok here, we can leave Dan in charge and they will soon have an advantage, the tunnels are days from completion. Its time to move on,” He says in soft and gentle tones, calming deep into the soul of the angry officer

“You’re right,” He agrees “When are you ever not right?” he chuckles again, wiping his tears on the sleeve of his jacket “Sorry about that” Trunks says sheepishly, calming more and more by the second

“No problem” Gohan smiles at him

“Ok Raditz tell the king,” He couldn’t bring himself to call him father “We will go to Dunver. When should we leave”?

“Immediate deployment,” Raditz said, he felt bad for the boy he really did, but he has to follow orders, as does everyone in this place, no one is really here of their own free will, they are all here coz they are terrified of the consequences if the Freiza force take control of their country. 

“One moment,” Trunks says holding up a finger in a wait gesture. He looks on the floor till he finds the carving of the cornflower, he picks it up and places it securely in his left pocket, the only one with a zip

“Ok, let us say goodbye and give instructions to our men, then we are ready,” He says with determination all over his face.

Whatever is going on at Dunver he is sure himself and Gohan can help, it cannot be any worse than what they have been living in here at Allemere for the past few months.

Before they make their way on foot to Dunver Gohan has a little plan

“I have a surprise for you,” He says, a smug expression on his face, he knows he will make Trunks happy with what he will do

“Oh? What is it,”

“How will it be a surprise if I answer that?” Gohan answers with not an ounce of sarcasm

In a little clearing a few miles back from the front line, Gohan has set up a little spit roast, he caught a few rabbits and is roasting the meat for Trunks

“What is this?” Trunks asks looking totally shocked

“You said you could barely remember what roasted meat tastes like, so I am reminding you. I couldn’t get your favourite, but Rabbit is nice too right,”

Trunks wipes a small tear from under his eye. This is the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for him

“Thank you Gohan, Rabbit is amazing,” He sits down next to the campfire eagerly awaiting his meal.


	13. Chapter 13

Project Ajax chapter 13 

Dunver is a town in ruins, what used to be a beautiful fishing town is little more that a crater in the ground, there are a few mangled buildings left standing that serve as cover for gunmen. A wide river runs through the town, Trunks imagined it was lovely a mere year ago, but now it is full of debris and bodies, the water, probably once blue and clear now runs brown with dirt and red with blood, just like everything else in this war-torn world.

The one scrap of beauty that remained was the dam, a stunning piece of engineering, a 20 meter tall hunk of concrete and metal holding back 2,500,000 gallons of water from the reservoir, a few small holes in the dam spilling through just enough water to keep the river flowing, a man made waterfall if you will. It was stunning and mind boggling how much trust this small town placed in that dam, were it to break their whole town would be swept away.

“There doesn’t seem to be much activity now” Gohan observes, looking out across the quiet landscape, they can see nor hear either allied or opposed troops, but they know they are there and they know they must be extra careful while making their way across this dangerous place. 

They had been informed there was a Saiyan base hidden inside the basement of a nearly collapsed church, it was almost impossible to tell which of these crumbled brick walls used to be a church but when they saw a few grave stones it gave it away, they were close.  
The church was barely recognisable any-more, one stain glass window had survived, for now

“The entrance must be around here somewhere” Trunks mused. His thoughts were soon disrupted as bullets flew through the air, Gohan dives at Trunks, holding him to the ground, his eyes searching the area for suitable cover, he needs to get the officer quickly to safety, and out of the line of fire. He takes note of the direction from which the bullets are raining down on them and he positions his back towards them, holding trunks safely behind him, using his own body as a shield.

“Quick sir, this way” A voice calls out. Gohan sees that it is a corporal from their own army. He side steps towards the man, his body firmly between trunks and the danger. As he runs, he feels two bullets bury themselves into the flesh of his back. They burn but are not overly dangerous for him. his flesh is too strong for a bullet to fully penetrate and get to any of his vitals, a deep scratch is all that will be left in their wake

The corporal fires several shots, killing the two gunmen that were shooting at them

“Quickly men, it will not be long before they send more snipers, they know our base is in this area, so they have us under constant surveillance

“Get in” He says opening the hatch of a tank that had seen better days, the metal body black and charred, the gun that was supposed to stand proudly atop completely gone, he wonders why they are getting into this write off.

“this thing hides the entrance to our base” the corporal explains as if to answer Trunks’ unspoken question. Inside the tank the floor is completely missing and there is a dirt covered trap door, it in nearly invisible, if Trunks hadn’t been looking for it, he wouldn’t have known it was there at all.  
A ladder leads down into a large space, it is full of soldiers, some discussing tactics, some drawing up plans, some resting after what looks like a long hard battle

“We have been waiting for back up, are you officer Trunks and Ajax?” Trunks nods

“Great let me take you to the general here, he can brief you on the situation”

The space under the church is big, there is a lot going on down here, there must be 1000 men down in this underground base. The general is a stern man who seems pleased to get some back up

“Ah, is this Ajax?” He asks Trunks, pointing to Gohan

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Trunks answers taking an immediate disliking to the man

“of course, I wasn’t aware it was able to converse. Hello Ajax,” He says turning to Gohan

“Hello sir,” Gohan salutes “I usually go by the name Gohan now” He informs the general

“I see. So we are in a very sticky situation here indeed, we are barely holding the freiza force back, the situation is dyer, I really hope you can do something to turn this around, were all counting on you,” He said looking at Gohan

“I won’t let you down sir,” He promised saluting for a second time. As he raised his arm Trunks noticed Red on the back of his uniform, and holes in his jacket where bullets had hit him. 

“Gohan you’re hurt,” He said reaching to take off the bigger man’s jacket to examine his wounds

“It is nothing, it doesn’t need attention” Gohan assures him with a smile, he can barely feel the wound on his back, his pain receptors are all but gone

“Let me see,” Trunks demands and Gohan complies with a smile

“I need to treat these; do you have a medical bay?” Trunks asks

“Yes, it’s just down there,” The general says pointing across the way, a slightly confused look on his face. He has heard great things about Ajax but seeing him now he is not so sure he believes it all. He was expecting a machine, this is a man, a huge, crazily strong man, but a man none the less.  
“Let’s go,” Trunks instructs taking a reluctant Gohan to the medical bay

“This really isn’t necessary,” Gohan protests but makes no move to stop, he would never directly disobey Trunks

Trunks treats Gohan’s bullet wounds the same way as he would treat any other soldiers, he refuses to accept that he is not just a regular man. He will never treat Gohan differently. He cant deny that part of this is because he cant bear to see the bigger man hurt, he knows he can’t really feel the shot wounds, and he knows they will heal in no time and leave no scar but he just cant sit by and see him bleed, he isn’t quite sure if he is insisting because he knows it will make Gohan better or if he is in face only doing this to treat his own worries.

He must be honest with himself and admit that he has feelings for Gohan, feelings far beyond those that an officer should feel towards one of his men. Maybe it was the countless nights Trunks had slept wrapped in the others arms, or maybe it was the fact that Gohan had saved his life more times than he could remember. Whatever it was, Trunks was falling for Gohan, and he didn’t mind. There wasn’t another person in the world that he would rather fall for. He just hoped that Gohan could feel the same, that he was capable of love, or had those feelings been stolen from him along with his ability to feel bullet holes. Was this ever-growing love destined to be forever unrequited or was there some way Gohan could learn to love him back. Trunks wishes on every star in the night sky that Gohan is capable of love, and that he will choose him

“ENEMY ATTACK”

The voice rang out through the whole base and within moments the solders were ready for action, these guys are true warriors, ready for battle at the drop of a hat. Trunks and Gohan are close to the front of the swarm as they bundle out of the safety of the base, no questions asked, to defend this land, to keep their country safe.  
This is a full-blown advancement from the Freiza force, this attack must have taken some serious planning, why did the Saiyan intelligence team not know about this? An attack of this magnitude must have taken a lot of planning, how did their spy in Freiza’s headquarters miss this? His mistake could possibly lose them the war. This area has access to the waterways, it would give the enemy a clear walk way to the capital city, they simply cannot lose this town, it was imperative that Dunver stays under Saiyan control, Trunks was certainly going to find out why a so called spy would miss something this big, but first the battle must be won.

“Keep moving forward men” Trunks shouts taking charge of the situation. He can see his new team dropping like flies, this attack has been well planned and strategized, tanks, horses, and thousands of men, this must have taken weeks if not months of planning. How was it missed by their inside man?

The tanks roll forward, each earth jolting bang as they shoot their shells, killing more and more of the Saiyan army.

“Gohan, do something” Trunks calls in desperation, he doesn’t know how to stop an onslaught of this magnitude with just men. The Freiza force must have realised how detrimental Dunver was to the war and gone all out in taking it.

Gohan springs to action at Trunks’ desperate cry. He runs at the advancing tank, bending the metal of its long gun, that tank will shoot no more, he has rendered it useless. Trunks feels a slight twinge of hope until he sees two more tanks behind it, and two more behind those. They cannot win this. He realises it with so much certainty  
“What now officer,” A scared looking man yells at him from behind the walls of a broken school that they have taken refuge in. he doesn’t know how to answer, for the first time since this unholy war began he feels defeated, he knows his army will lose and it’s the worst feeling he has ever had to experience. If only there was some force stronger, stronger than tanks and armies, stronger than Gohan and guns. There must be something he can do

In idea hits him. it’s a bad idea, but it will work. It’s a force stronger than everything in this town, it will take out the whole Freiza force in seconds, along with him and his own men but at least it will secure this area.

He looks at the brave men, waiting for his command, can he really condemn them all to death. He has to if this is going to work. Their lives are a small price to pay compared to the lives that will be taken if Freiza wins this war. He speaks to his men, he knows he must tell them they are all about to die, how can he even say this to them and give them the respect they deserve

“Men, I have an idea, and it will end in my death, along with most of yours. we have stood between our enemies and the innocent people of Vegeta for many months. I will not lie to you, death approaches, and now our final battle begins. It will not end until our last drop of blood has been spilled. We are the walls against despair, the soldiers in the trenches, the sparks that light hope, the warriors who are holding the line, the shield that guards the Saiyan realm and we will not lose this war,”

Not one man left his post, each and every one of them smiled in the face of death, they were not fearless warriors, they were men and they were terrified, they had just been told they were going to die, of course they were scared, but not a single one of them left. They fought on and would do until the bitter end and at that very moment, Trunks had never been prouder top call himself a Saiyan.


	14. Chapter 14

Project ajax chapter 14

Kakarot waits in the dark cell, he has no idea what is to become of him. this is all his own fault, he was so stupid, he knew Freiza was watching him but still he insisted on going to see Vegeta time and time again, he just couldn’t stay away, and now his inability to prioritize would probably cost him his life, and a lot more lives along the way. He was their main source of inside information, without that important knowledge of what their enemy was planning next battles would surely be lost, lives would be taken again and again all because he couldn’t just stay away from the king.

He had no idea Freiza himself was following him, he watched him entre the kings headquarters like he owned the place, he had gotten too cocky, too safe in the assumption that no one would ever catch him, he was too quick, he was too stealthy, but he was wrong. Lord Freiza was not just a ruler of his people he was also an incredible soldier, strong and brave, his intelligence was off the scale and his patience and cunning were second to none, Kakarot was wrong to cross him on such a personal level, he doubted he would leave this place alive.

He was so stupid.

His head raced, trying to throw together some semblance of a plan, an escape route, anything that would get him out of here but Freiza had covered all bases. He was chained to a wall by thick reinforced steel chains, even his Saiyan strength was not enough to break them. He was also in a cell of metal bars with two strong guards outside, both had been instructed not to leave their post for any reason. They were not to fall asleep. Freiza had told them in a harsh tone that if he found either one of them even looking sleepy, they would be killed, and he meant it too, he wanted Kakarot guarded with full attention. 

He kept thinking, his mind running through a million different scenarios, anything that could get him out of here and back to the safety of Vegeta’s headquarters, back to the sanctuary that is his kings’ arms. He can’t die yet, he just can’t, he needs to escape and see his king again.  
Vegeta is all Kakarot has ever known, one of his earliest memories is from when he was about four. A then 8-year-old prince Vegeta smugly challenging him

“I bet you can’t get into the kitchen and steal one of the cooks jam tarts before she sees you and hits you over the head with her rolling pin,

“I can too,” he had said, poking his little tongue out as if to emphasise his point

“Prove it,” Vegeta has smiled as he spoke. Looking back on it now, Kakarot realises that Vegeta was fully aware he could steal a tart from the cook, he only challenged Kakarot this way when he wanted a tart, or whatever other delicious thing their resident cook was making, even in his current situation Kakarot cant help but smile a little at the memories.   
Later when he was around ten, he would sneak into Vegeta’s bedroom at night and the boys would play board games and eat snacks that he had swiped from the kitchen earlier, fun times, even back then the prince would berate him

“You shouldn’t be here Kakarot you are going to get us both into trouble” But he would never send him away. Kakarot remembers Vegeta getting into trouble for nearly falling asleep at training the next day because he had been awake nearly all the night before

At 15 Kakarot remembers the first time the prince had kissed him; it was unexpected but very welcome. They had not seen each other for a few days, Kakarot was always busy with his training, he had taken advantage if his abilities to move in silence and joined espionage school, he was always top of his class. Vegeta was busy getting ready to take his dads crown, the king then, Vegeta’s father, had become ill and it was more and more apparent every day that he was not going to get better, so at the young age of 19, Vegeta was preparing to take his fathers place as king. He had big shoes to fill but all his people were behind him and sure that he would make a fine king.

They were passing in the corridor, Kakarot remembers the way Vegeta’s face lit up like starlight the moment he saw him, hie eyes glowing with happiness

“Kakarot, I’ve missed you,” He said, “Do you have a spare moment?” He asked, his face a beautiful shade of pink. Kakarot didn’t understand why he was blushing then, as he thinks about it now it was very obvious but back then it was not. His young and innocent mind having no clue as to what thoughts were going through Vegeta’s mind  
“of course, I can always spare a moment for you Vegeta” Kakarot pulls his usual super wide grin, one of the many things Vegeta finds totally adorable about the taller man.

“This way,” Vegeta whispers pulling them into one of the many alcoves in the palace corridors “I’ve wanted to do this for some time now, I hope you don’t mind,” He said shyly before pushing his lips into Kakarot’s. their arms had wrapped around each other and their long kiss became an embrace too, filled with so much love and understanding. There was never any question that these two were made for each other. They both knew from the moment they were able to understand, that they were made for each other, destiny had created them to be together

When their moment had to come to an end their mouths reluctantly parted and Kakarot’s face was just as red as Vegeta’s, but they were both grinning

“I definitely didn’t mind that at all,” He chuckles, the smile on his face radiant and beautiful “You can do that anytime you like,” he shyly stated. And Vegeta had, he kissed Kakarot whenever he got the chance, no matter what happened in each of their lives they would always love each other, unconditionally, tirelessly, endlessly.   
Kakarot cant bear the thought that he might never get to see his lover again, the perfect face of the man he had spent all of his life trying to please, the reason he was the man that he was today was all because of Vegeta. He simply cannot never see his beautiful face again. He needs to tell him he loves him just one more time. Is that too much to ask, just one more time?

Freiza made his way sadly to the cells, he was so stupid, he had really fallen for Goku, and he is nothing but a traitor and a spy. He hates him, with every ounce of blood and venom in his system he hates that man, the man that had shared his bed, with whom he was willing to share his life and his empire with had betrayed his trust. He was a spy, a lecherous, dirty spy and Freiza hated that fact.

He wanted more than anything to believe the lies that spurted from Goku’s dirty mouth as he protested his innocence, he swears he was only visiting Vegeta’s headquarters to gain valuable information to give to Freiza, he would never betray his lord. Oh, what Freiza would not give to believe that, he even considered pretending to believe it just so that he could spend a few more hours with Goku pretending to love him, but he could not do it. If he did not kill Goku now he would run back to his king the first chance he got, and Freiza would rather lose the man he loves to death than lose him to his enemy. Goku would be shot at dawn on Sunday, along with all the other traitors and cowards, he was going to see him for one last time but there was nothing he could say to change his mind. They spy had to be killed.

He stalks into the holding area and it breaks his heart to see Goku chained to the wall like a common criminal, but no one can ever know that, he has to appear just as cold and unfeeling as ever, he cannot drop his guard and let sentiment get the better of him, his army and his county depend on him. he must always be the ruthless leader they need, his façade cannot slip even for a second, even if he does desperately wish it could, he remains stoic, uncaring.

Goku looks up at him, his eyes pleading

“Freiza, you got to get me out of here, I am not a spy I promise, I would never do that to you I swear it, let me out I’ve got valuable information. Let me out and I’ll tell you everything…”

“Shut up” Freiza shouts and the room falls silent “Enough of your lies,” He says before turning to the guards

“Leave us” He tells them, his voice as colds as ice. He is frightening, even Kakarot feels a shiver of fear run up his spine, leaving a cold dread in its wake. One the guards closed the heavy door behind them the two men were alone, the silence between them seemed to stretch on for an eternity, each second becoming more and more filled with tension

“I loved you,” Freiza said, his voice no longer cold, now that they were alone, he let his sadness bubble to the surface, there was no point putting on an act for a dead man

“I love you too Freiza, I swear I want to be with you, just…. just let me out and we can be together again, just like you want” Kakarot says sounding sincere

“I can’t because you are lying to me. You are the only person I have ever loved, ever let into my life and you have betrayed my trust. I take no pleasure from this Goku, if that is even your real name, but you will be shot for this. I have no choice; I cannot let this kind of treachery go. However, this does not change my feelings for you Goku. I do and always will love you,” Freiza says, opening the cell door and walking over to where Kakarot is chains. He places a hand on his cheek and gently kisses his mouth.

The whole time Kakarot it trying to figure out a way to escape but he has no ideas. He kissed Freiza back as hard as he had ever kissed in his whole life, despite not wanting too. What a mess, just moments ago he was smiling dreaming about his first kiss with the man he loves and now he is probably sharing his last with a man who he despises. Life is a funny old thing.

He doesn’t know what to do or say, this man is his only way out of here and he can clearly see that this tactic isn’t going to work

“Please don’t do this Freiza, let me go, let me love you, I’ll come clean, I’ll tell you everything” He whispers with fervency

“I don’t want to know everything, that would hurt too much. But I would like to know one thing” Freiza asks

“Anything I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I have a lot of information on the Saiyan’s and I can get more. Use me, I can be a real asset to you, and despite everything, I do really love you” Kakarot can see Freiza’s resolve weakening

“I want to know your name, I’d like something to remember you by after you are killed. Just one scrap of a memory that is not fake. I don’t think that is too much to ask”

“Of course, it’s not. I’m sorry for lying but I had to, the Saiyan’s are so cruel, they made me do this…...”

“Your name?” Freiza cuts him off

“My name is Kakarot” He says flatly

“Kakarot, such a pretty name, pretty face, such a shame you have to die” Freiza says sadly, kissing Kakarot one more time on the lips

“You don’t have to do this”

“I’m sorry my beautiful Kakarot, I really am,” Is all he says as he stands and leaves, Kakarot hears his order to the guards as he exits the holding area

“Shoot him along with all the other prisoners,” His voice just as cold an emotionless as it was before the guards left the room.


	15. Chapter 15

Project ajax chapter 15

The TNT strapped to Trunks’ back is heavy, but he won’t bring himself to admit that as Gohan is carrying double the amount that he is. Gohan, of course, offered to carry all the explosives, but Trunks had declined. He wasn’t happy to let Gohan do all the work, he had to pull his weight too  
As they neared the 100-foot-high solid concrete wall of the Dunver Dam Trunks felt afraid, another thing he didn’t want to say out loud. He looked over at his companion, still smiling and humming to himself even moments before death

“Gohan, you know we are both going to die right,” He chuckles trying to make light of a situation that was truthfully tearing away at his insides, making his legs feel like jelly

“I am going to try my best to stop that from happening, I feel hopeful, I’m not going to allow you to die on my watch,” Gohan answers, the smile firmly on his face not dropping even a fraction

“You know, there’s honestly no one I’d rather be walking next to right now,” Trunks tells him, his voice sincere

“Because you know I have the best chance of helping you to survive?” Gohan cocks his head to the side pondering trunks’ statement

“Ha-ha, no silly, well actually that is a bonus, but the real reason is that, there’s no one I’d rather share my last few moments with than you, I’ve grown to really like over the past month, thank you for everything Gohan,”

“you are welcome, officer Trunks, I have also grown very fond of you. We are at the centre point of the dam now; shall we lay down our explosives?” Gohan asks, he stops walking

“Yeah, lets do this,” Trunks responds with a forced smile.

It doesn’t take them long to set up the TNT, Trunks wishes it took longer, he wants just a little more time with Gohan. They work without speaking, the only sound is Gohan’s happy humming, it soothes Trunks’ anxiety a small amount, it is a lovely sound

“It’s all ready. We will have about 15 seconds after we light the fuse, will we run?” Gohan says

“Nah no point, we won’t get anywhere near far enough away, lets just be brave and accept our fates like warriors, at least we are together,”

“As you wish” Gohan agrees and lights the fuse, standing at Trunks’ side to await the flood that soon would sweep them away. He held onto Trunks’ hand, at least that way he wouldn’t lose him immediately. If he is going to have ant chance at saving him, he needs to at least be with him.

Trunks feels Gohan take his hand and he cannot help himself, he has about ten seconds left to live, and he didn’t want to die without ever kissing the man that he is almost definitely in love with. He tiptoes up and pushes his lips firmly into Gohan’s. He kisses back, he has no objections to Trunks kissing him, he actually quite enjoys the feeling. It is Gohan who deepens the kiss and wraps his arms around Trunks’ slight frame

“I love you,” Trunks whispers, breaking their kiss for a fraction of a second just to say the words that are burning a hole in his heart

“And I you,” Gohan answers. 

They stand wrapped up in each other, lost in each other’s love and wait for death to come.

The blast is earth shattering, the whole landscape seems to shudder, a rumbling that starts in your feet and slowly jolts its way through your whole body, letting you know that something terrible was about to happen.

The men down on the battlefield stopped and looked around, both the Saiyan army and the Freiza force, stopped shooting, stopped fighting and just looked around. It felt as though hell were about to open up and swallow them all, the deep ominous shudder that seemed to come from the centre of the earth itself striking fear into their hearts  
“What….is that?” A Small Saiyan asks, more to himself than anyone else. A sound then pulled all of their attention the to huge dam that loomed always in the foreground of this once bustling little city. The sound was a groaning, loud and long, it made a few flinch or cover their ears.

Before their eye’s cracks started to appear in the thick concrete, black lines spreading out erratically in all directions, no pattern, no reason, like the scribblings of a toddler with a huge black marker. As if in slow motion water started to pour through the cracks, flooding the land below. Slowly but surely the cracks began to crumble, leaving instead gaping holes that water gushed through, torrents of liquid flattening all that stood in its path. The huge metal tanks that were so fearsome to the soldiers swept away as though nothing more than toys. What remaining buildings there were, were crashed through like nothing. Soldiers washed away before they even had the chance to run.  
The once dry landscape was now a sea of destruction, screams rang out into the air, replacing the sound of gunfire, huge chunks of concrete from the now ruined dam washed along with the flow, wrecking anything that had the misfortune to collide with them. This battle was over.

Gohan was underwater. His arms still firmly wrapped around Trunks. It was a miracle that he was able to keep a hold on him through first the explosion and second the amazing flood that they had caused. He tried to swim, using only his legs to the surface, but he had no idea what way the surface was. His world had been twisted and spun so many times he had no idea what was going on. His body felt shattered by the force of the TNT and now by the hard objects that continuously seemed to slam into him from all directions. He did not know how much longer even he could survive this for, let alone Trunks. He needed to find a way out of this.

With exhausted legs he kicked and kicked praying that soon he would find air and fill his lungs. His prayers were answered shortly. He surfaced and gasped, thanking the lord for having mercy on him. he had no idea where he was. All around him was chaos, the water still moving them at a fast pace towards god knows where. All he could do was tread water, keep hold of Trunks, who was unconscious, but breathing, and hope that soon he would find a way out of the flow.

After what felt like forever Gohan’s feet touch ground, it is wet and soggy ground but ground none the less. He climbs out of the water and takes a refuge next to a small group of trees that have somehow survived the flood. He assesses the damage. His back is torn to pieces, nearly all of the skin there blown from his body, revealing red and bloody tissue, these wounds would have killed a normal man, well a normal man wouldn’t have survived the blast to begin with. The only reason Trunks is still with us is because Gohan wrapped himself around him to shield him from the blast. It worked, he saved Trunks and with the right medical treatment he will make a full recovery. Gohan knew he needed to take Trunks to Bulma, she is the best scientist and doctor in the whole army and if anyone could get Trunks feeling well again quickly it was her. By his calculation Vegeta’s headquarters were a 25 mile walk from their location. It was a treacherous path over the mountain, but it was doable. He picked Trunks up in his arms, careful not to jolt or damage him. inside Gohans body rested enough power to tear metal to pieces yet he touched Trunks as softly as a rose petal, not wanting to harm a hair on his head. He gently kissed the forehead, just beneath his pretty purple hairline and started his journey to safety.

The mountain has paths, some more worn that others and most of it is covered in thick forest, one of the only forests in this area untouched by war, being high on the mountain making this area far too dangerous for battle, he keeps moving, there is little time, he needs to get trunks medical treatment as soon as possible, he could feel even as the night drew in and the rain started to fall that Trunks was hot, he was running a fever and had been unconscious for a long time now, he couldn’t bear the thought of losing him.

They had told each other earlier that they loved each other. Gohan was not sure if this was 100% true on his part. He was not supposed to be capable of feeling love and he did not fully understand the concept of it. He did not understand a lot about emotions, but he did know this. When he looked at Trunks, he saw a man that made him proud, he had had no biological advancement and still he kept up with Gohan. He saw bravery, even in the face of death Trunks did not tremble, his courage was astounding. He saw beauty, Trunks was the prettiest person Gohan had ever seen. He was not sure, but he thought that must be what love is.

It is getting darker and darker by the second, but Gohan knows he cannot stop. He keeps pressing on despite the difficulty seeing in the fading light. He hears a rustling to his left. A large animal, not far away. His highly sensitive ears can pick up and slight sound and identify what is a possible danger. An animal big enough to cause this much sound could definitely be dangerous. He speeds his step. Too late. The creature has heard him and begins its prowl towards them. It these parts there is only one animal that large, he knows what it is. It can probably smell the blood and the weakness, it is looking for easy prey. It will not find it here. There is no way Gohan is going to shield Trunks from a huge explosion, pull him from a gushing torrent of water only to let him get eaten by a mountain Lion. He carefully places trunks on the ground and turns to fight, kill if he must. 

The beautiful animal slinks from behind the trees, its head low to the ground ready to pounce. Its fur so sleek and soft looking, its black eyes sparkle as it sees its next meal. Gohan shouts and waves his arms hoping to scare away the wonderful beast, he does not want to hurt something so innocent and so glorious. The lion ignores his efforts, she is a big lioness, the biggest Gohan has ever seen, she will not back down.

Before he can blink, she pounces, sinking her teeth into the flesh in his thigh, using her weight and muscle to try and pull him down to the ground. 

Gohan yells, even for him this is painful, her strong jars ripping through his sinew and her claws piercing his flesh. He tries to push her off him, but it is useless, she is so magnificently strong. He almost hates himself for doing it but he pulls his 6 inch trench knife from its holder on his waist and with all his might he jammed it into her ear, it wasn’t enough to kill her, but wound her, and let her know that he was not an easy target. It worked. She released his leg and skulked back into the forest, Gohan ripped some fabric from his shirt and tied it round his thigh to stop the bleeding her deep bites caused. His wounds will heal fast, but he has taken enough damage for one day and he feels himself slowing down slightly as he goes to pick up Trunks and continue his long walk. 

The path is less worn here and his step is uneasy, he stumbles a few times, his weakened body, the added weight of his loved one and the dark making his journey almost impossible, but he wont stop, he refuses to. He must get Trunks safely home.

For an hour he has ambles his way up the now non-existent path only to come to a dead end. A sheer cliff face with no visible way around it, and he was so close to the summit. There is nothing he can do; it is not possible to climb this steep wall with Trunks in his arms, so he has to turn back and find another path. He does so with a heavy heart feeling like every second his incompetence adds onto the time to get to Bulma is adding more and more risk to Trunks’ life. How could he be so stupid. He turns and stomps back again. He feels as though if he could cry, he would be crying now.

After hours of walking and climbing steep surfaces he finally reaches the top of the mountain and with relief he sees Vegeta’s Headquarters nestled in the valley, he sighs and makes his way down, this downhill journey is much easier and he finally feels like he has done something right. At the gates he is let in immediately. Both the king and Bulma come rushing when they hear Trunks is hurt

“I got him here as fast as I could,” Gohan informs them

“Ok I need a stretcher RIGHT NOW,” Bulmer shouts to the guards who rush to follow her commands. A stretcher is with them in no time being carried by two strong looking men.

“Let’s go, get him to the medical quarters, I’m going to need oxygen quickly,” She orders as they leave taking Trunks away to fix him. Gohan rushes to follow, he hates to let Trunks out of his sight

“Ajax, its ok, you can relax now,” Vegeta says, placing a hand Gently on Gohans shoulder “Thank you for bringing him home safely, I owe you everything”

“I would rather go with him; I feel uneasy when he is not within my sights”

“It’s ok I promise you she will take care of him, in the meantime, we should treat your wounds and you should rest,”

“Yes sir, the battle of Dunver is won. It was Trunks’ idea,”

“I heard. Thank you. I’m glad you are there to be a bodyguard to my son”

“As am I” they head to the small clinic room near where Trunks is being treated and Vegeta cleans and bandages Gohans wounds himself, it’s the least he can do for the man that saved his sons life

“Am I hurting you?” Vegeta asks

“No, I do not feel a lot of pain, only if it is very intense, like being bitten by a lion or seeing Trunks get hurt,” Gohan explains. Vegeta thinks about this for a moment. Seeing Trunks hurt causes Ajax pain, pain comparable to getting bitten by a lion? that would suggest the presence of emotions and he was not supposed to have those

“Tell me Ajax, do you feel any other emotions?”

“Yes, your majesty, many, at first I felt nothing but slowly over time officer Trunks has brought back my emotions, I feel a lot now, mainly when I look at him”

“Interesting” Vegeta muses wondering if his son feels the same way. Were the rumours actually true?


	16. Chapter 16

“Project Ajax chapter 16

Vegeta listens with fear to the reports his men at Dunver gave. Nearly his whole battalion there was wiped out by the flood that Trunks caused, but at least the battle was won. He wasn’t too upset about the loss of lives; it was sad but a small price to pay to keep Dunver under Saiyan control. Those men did not lose their lives in vein, each one of their deaths will save 100 lives.

The question that many people had brought up was why had their intelligence teams and spies not picked up on the planning of that attack. Its something that was probably discussed extensively at Freiza’s headquarters, why had their mole their missed it?

This was the question that Vegeta most needed answers to, it was not possible that Kakarot could have missed such a thing, there was no way he wouldn’t get a message to Vegeta somehow about the attack at Dunver, he must have known, why didn’t he tell anyone?...... unless.  
Terrible thoughts whirled around Vegeta’s mind leaving utter turmoil in their tracks, he could barely think of anything else. Why did Kakarot not tell him? had he switched sides? Fallen for Freiza and decided never to come back? Was he hurt? Dead? The king knew he could not rest till he had an answer.  
He needs to send someone to Freiza’s Hq to check on Kakarot, there are very few people who know of the king and his relationship, and even fewer who he can trust to infiltrate Freiza’s place without getting killed. There is really only one man for the job

“You sent for me Vegeta?” Nappa asked, popping his bald head round the office door

“Yes Nappa, come have a seat, close the door behind you,” Vegeta instructs, trying to figure out how best to word what he is about to ask. Its kind of a big deal, if Nappa is caught he will be killed immediately. Usually if a spy is captured or killed no investigation is done, they are assumed dead and awarded for their bravery, laying down their life for their country, but for Kakarot, Vegeta needs to know.

Nappa can tell something is wrong the moment he enters the room. The king is trying hard to hide the despair behind his eyes, most people would think he was cool and calm right now but Nappa knows differently, he knows Vegeta like the back of his hand.

“What’s wrong?” Nappa asks with urgency in his tone, he closes the door and sits opposite Vegeta at the large desk

“What’s happened Vegeta?”

“It’s Kakarot,” Vegeta says, I tiny bit of his mask slipping as he says the others name, his voice cracking just a little “I haven’t heard from him, he failed to inform anyone of a major attack on the town of Dunver, I’m frightened he might be…..” Vegeta trails off

“You want me to go check on him?” Nappa offers making Vegeta’s job a whole lot easier, he was dreading asking such a huge favour of Nappa and it is such a relief that he offered.

“If you would be so kind, Nappa, do not act on anything you find, but please report back to me as fast as you can with any news on my Kakarot. He failed to give us some important information, that’s not like him at all, I’m a little apprehensive,”

“I’ll leave immediately, don’t worry Vegeta I’m sure he will be fine, I’ve never met anyone as durable as him,”

“yes, but up against Lord Freiza, even he wouldn’t stand a chance”

“I’m on my way” Nappa nods and gets on his way. This is a matter of great urgency; Not many people know how important Kakarot is to Vegeta, but Nappa knows. Nappa has spent every day of Vegeta’s life watching the king grow from a young and energetic Prince, into a fine ruler and King. He would not be the man he was today if it weren’t for Kakarot’s constant support and encouragement. If anything had happened to the king’s lover, it would cause devastation to Vegeta’s mental health. Nappa doubts he would even survive without his consort.

He moved as fast as he could, easily crossing enemy lines and making his way to Freiza’s palace where he hoped he would find Kakarot alive and well, but he had his suspicions, all he could do was hope and pray.

Vegeta waited. He tried to continue with his work, to focus on the battles he is so close to winning, but his thoughts keep drifting back to Kakarot. It is really not like him at all to miss something so important. But there is nothing else Vegeta can do for now, he has his most trusted man on the case. Whatever has happened to Kakarot Nappa will find out.  
It feels like far too many hours have passed, Vegeta has long given up on his work. He paces the floor of his large office. He is worried, about not just Kakarot but also Trunks, the state of his kingdom even after the war is over. Everything is a mess; he wonders if he could have done things differently

“Vegeta,” A small voice and a tap at the door break his train of though

“Bulma, how’s he doing?” he asks, hoping his wife brings good news about their son

“He’s just fine, he is awake now and is feeling a lot better he will make a full recovery, and its all thanks to Gohan,”

“Who?”

“Project Ajax, Trunks named him Gohan,”

“Oh ha-ha, well I’m sure the machine doesn’t care what I call him,” Vegeta laughs waving his hand dismissively

“No, I’m sure he wouldn’t, but I feel Trunks would. That’s actually what I came to speak with you about. I’m almost positive that our son and Gohan are forming a psychical relationship, and I want to make sure you will be supportive of his choices”

“Oh yes now you mention it the machine…. Gohan, did seem interested in Trunks, you think Trunks feels the same way?” Vegeta is shocked, I mean of course he will support his son but that doesn’t mean he has to agree with it right.

“it seems that way,” Bulma smiles, she is happy for her son, Gohan seems to care a lot for Trunks.

“It’s a bit…. weird don’t you think. Kind of unconventional,” Vegeta shrugs

“Says the man who has been in love with his best friend all his life and still hasn’t admitted it,” Bulma rolls her eyes at her husband. She rarely mentions Kakarot to him, she doesn’t want to make Vegeta feel awkward, but of course she knows about his and Kakarot’s relationship. She would have to be blind not to see their love, the pair are basically joint at the hip

“That’s different,” Vegeta mutters looking at the ground. He is not ashamed of his feeling for kakarot, but he still does not enjoy speaking about them 

“Yes, it is different, but it’s still unconventional yet Trunks never judges you for it, and yes he does know, everyone knows,” Bulma informs him flatly. She will not have him making Trunks feel bad for his choice of partner.

“Ok, ok, I’ll be good I promise. I won’t make him feel bad for shaking up with the robot,” Vegeta smiles and Bulma gives him a stern look

“Thank you. Where is Kakarot anyway, I haven’t seen him for a few days?” She asks

“I don’t know. I am waiting for Nappa to return with news of him. I fear the worst,” Vegeta informs her trying his best to sound nonchalant while his insides are being torn apart by the fear that Kakarot is gone.

“What, oh Veg I’m sure he is fine, he’s an amazing spy and soldier, whatever has happened he will make it back to you,”

“I hope you are correct, I just don’t know what I’ll do if he is gone, I don’t think I can live without him” Vegeta turns towards the window, not wanting her to see the tears that threaten to fall from his eyes as he thinks about what could have become of his lover.  
Through the window he sees Nappa return, his bike skidding to a halt, he seems in a hurry

“He’s back,” Vegeta announces, shoving past Bulma to go and meet him on his way up. Bulma follows close behind. She will have a hard job comforting the king if Kakarot has been killed. There is no denying that Kakarot is the meaning of Vegeta’s life, always has been always will be, no one on earth could ever compare or take his place. Bulma just hopes he is still alive; she would hate to see her husband go through that kind of pain and suffering. 

“Nappa, did you find him, please tell me he is ok” Vegeta shouts from the top of the stairs down to Nappa who has just entered the front door

“I found him, he is alive, but he is to be shot tomorrow morning. We better move fast if we want to get him out of there, we need to leave right now” Nappa says. He will go with Vegeta to save Kakarot, he knows there is no chance Vegeta will stay here and send anyone else to do this job. He will go himself, it’s the most important mission he would ever have. Nappa isn’t about to let him go it alone.


	17. Chapter 17

Project Ajax chapter 17

Trunks was feeling proud, and happy, the happiest he had felt in as long as he can remember. His body was all but healed and he was ready to back into action, by this evening he would be back at Allemere, back with his troops where he belonged. His mother was a miracle worker, she had fixed all of his wounds and made him feel as good as new. she also recognised the romance in the air the second she caught scent of it. Gohan, of course, had not left Trunks’ side since as soon as his own wounds had been treated and Bulma watched the way Gohan watched her son sleep. Before he gained consciousness, Gohan had pulled a chair up beside Trunks’ bed, rested his head gently beside Trunks and just watched. If Trunks looked uncomfortable Gohan would adjust his pillows. He checks Trunks vitals a lot more than they needed to be checked. Bulma can see there is much more to this than a soldier caring for his officer, Gohan has fallen for Trunks, it’s clear to see.

When Trunks was awake Gohan was even more attentive, catering to Trunks’ every need and making sure he wanted for nothing. As soon as Gohan had left the room, Bulma sending him for more bedsheets that she didn’t really need she had turned to her son

“So, how you are feeling?” She asked, a knowing grin spreading across her face

“Fine, thank you mother,” He replied formally

“Well you wouldn’t have survived at all if it wasn’t for Project Ajax,”

“His name is Gohan,”

“Of course, Gohan, he seems to really care for you,”

“He does,” Trunks can’t help but smile as he answers “And I for him” he noticed the look on his mum’s face, she knows there is something there that wasn’t there before. She hesitates, unsure if she should ask him or not, she doesn’t want to overstep her boundaries or make Trunks feel uncomfortable

“It’s ok mum, you can ask,” Trunks chuckles

“Thank god, are you and Gohan dating?” she says excitedly

“Not exactly dating, we are fighting a war after all, but we like each other. Is that cool with you? I know it’s a bit weird,” he looks a little ashamed as he speaks. He has no idea how people will react when he tells them he is falling for the enhanced man, a lot of people don’t seem to view him as a human, he wonders how harshly he will be judged for his choice. He won’t change his mind, no matter how other people will react, but it is still somewhat of a worry to him

“It’s not weird at all Trunks, love is love, and I will support you no matter what. I’m so pleased for you, tell me everything, I want all the details,” She squeals perching on the edge of Trunks’ bed and eagerly awaiting a romance story

“Ha-ha, mum, there really isn’t much to tell yet, again we are in the middle of a war remember. Me and Gohan have decided to wait till the war is won to act on our feelings, but when we thought we were going to die, we did kiss, and it was good,” He has a little blush as he speaks, it feels good to speak about something normal with his mum. Something other than strategies and death tolls and combat, right then he felt almost like a normal man. He had missed this feeling, normality, he hoped soon this would be their everyday lives again.

Gohan returned with the unneeded bedsheets, Bulma thanked him and placed them in the cupboard

“Ok I’m gonna go and speak to your father, you are feeling ok?” she asked with a grin

“I feel great, thank you, I shall get ready and return to my post now,” Trunks answers 

“Why don’t you wait another day, just to be on the safe side,” She asks preying that he will agree but knowing he won’t, her son is a brave warrior and would never leave his men for longer than he needs

“No need, you have fixed me up pretty good,”

Bulma leaves, on her way to tell Vegeta about the strange but unbelievably cute object of their sons’ affections, she hoped he would understand.

“we will return to battle already?” Gohan asks, a little nervous about Trunks’ condition

“Yes, being away from the fight makes me anxious. Does it not you?” Trunks asks

“No, as long as I can see you, I feel at ease, but I understand your anxiety, your men are to you as you are to me. We will go and make sure they are as safe as they can be,” Gohan smiles

“Gohan…. thank you for saving my life, and for everything, I owe you big time,” 

“You owe me nothing, I will keep you safe, I have come to think of you as far more than my officer and my friend, you mean the world to me Trunks,” Gohan says fervently

Trunks walks forward and puts his arms around Gohan, tiptoeing up to kiss him passionately. He has never felt so strongly for another person before, he knows he wants to spend all of his life with Gohan at his side

“Gohan, I love you,” He tells him, still locked in an embrace, his words whispered into the larger man’s neck. Gohan pauses on hearing those words. He pulls back a little and looks deep into Trunks’ eyes, as though searching for something, something he doesn’t understan

“What does that feel like?” he asks quietly

“It feels like home, it feels like all of my life and everything in it has been leading to this point. All of my triumphs, all of my mistakes have been leading me to you. If feels as though I’ve finally found all the answers I have been searching for, I live and breathe for you. You make my heartbeat wildly and my brain is consumed with thoughts of you….” Trunks trails off, feeling a little embarrassed by his outburst. Gohan thinks for a moment before taking Trunks’ hand and placing it on his chest. His heart is beating wildly, Trunks feels it and smiles

“That is for you, I think I love you too,” Gohan answers

Trunks touches his lips gently to his lovers, he feels the strong arms close tighter around his body, pulling him tight against his chest, leaving no room between them. They kiss softly, treating each other like flower petals rather than the strong warriors they really are. Their hands exploring the others body greedily as their caresses and kisses become more impassioned, more desperate. The want and need between these two men is so strong it is almost a psychical presence in the room, raising the temperature a few degrees and making both men start to sweat

“Gohannnn,” Trunks moans the others name as his soft lips work their way down the smaller man’s neck to his still bare chest

“I need you,” He manages to pant while feeling the desire burn through his body, he wants nothing more than to make love to Gohan, he needs to feel that closeness between them, he needs to tell him how he feels and confirm that they belong only to each other.

“Please,” He pants, his mind running at 1000 miles per hour, the words in his mind eloquent and well phrased but his mouth unable to form them in his blissful state so he just begs for the other man “Please,”

“What do you want?” Gohan heard his begging and is happy to comply with anything, but he is unsure what Trunks is asking for

“I want you,” Trunks says, grabbing Gohan’s hips and pulling them forward forcefully thrusting his own hips into the other man so that there is zero doubt in Gohan’s mind what his partner is asking for. He feels a little nervous as he lovingly removes Trunks’ clothes being sure to keep kissing him and touching him. he can see Trunks is on cloud nine, his instinct taken over, logical thought has left his mind and all that remains is need and desire. His face has contorted into an animalistic mask of yearning, he needs this, he needs to feel Gohan’s love.

Gohan isn’t sure if he has done this before, in his past life, before he was Gohan, but if he had he couldn’t remember it, he knew exactly what to do, he knew how to please another person, all of this had been programmed into him but he was still nervous. His worry was that the information he had was generic, it did not apply directly to Trunks, how was he supposed to know what Trunks desired. He tried to slow his heart rate, he would just have to continue and watch Trunks carefully for any sign that he was not enjoying his actions.

He lays Trunks on the bed, all the gentle touching from moments ago had vanished, he is rough, and Trunks seems to be loving it, lapping up the attention that is lavished on him, taking great pleasure from every kiss, every touch, fervently pleading for more.  
Trunks is incoherent as Gohan reaches for the ointment left on the bedside table. He knows he needs to use something to make this more comfortable for Trunks, the ointment works just fine and as their bodies become one Trunks moans out his pleasure in an ecstatic song, calling Gohan’s name like a mantra, whispering his love and kissing any flesh that found its way close to his mouth.

Gohan’s worries all but melted away as he saw the look of pure love, adoration and pleasure on Trunks’ face, as he moved at a slow pace, letting the overwhelming feeling spread like fire through his whole body, savouring every squeeze, every moan every gasp of pleasure that Trunks gifted him. He knew he was doing it right, and he knew he never wanted to do this for any other person for as long as he lived. He loved Trunks, and he was so happy that he felt the same way.

As Trunks’ body twitched and tightened around him, he smiled as he saw the release twist his lovers beautiful face, he eyes tight shut, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, holding his breath for a few moments before releasing and his body softening, his breathing slowing and a wonderful sigh escaping his lips.  
Gohan smiled. He hoped with all his heart that he will be able to do this again and again, the rush of pleasure he felt while seeing Trunks come undone this way was astronomical, he had never experienced a better feeling in his short second life. Trunks’ face was a picture of perfection and he prayed that he could be the one to make his lover look so stunning time and time again. There was no doubt in his mind now, he was in love.


	18. Chapter 18

Project Ajax chapter 18

“Don’t be ridiculous Vegeta,” Bulma scolds following behind her husband and Nappa as the walk along making plans for how they can get inside Freiza’s HQ “There’s no way the two of you can walk into Freiza’s place, get Kakarot and get out of their alive, you’re being far too rash. Nappa, tell him he needs to rethink this,” She looks at the king’s huge bodyguard

“we don’t have time, I wish we did we could make a plan, but we need to get to Kakarot now or he is going to be killed, you know we can’t let that happen” Nappa explains

“And how should I explain to everyone that their king id dead? Because that is what’s going to happen if just you two go up against Freiza. YOU CAN’T DO THIS YOU ARENT STRONG ENOUGH” She shouts through her tears, she knows she is being harsh, but it is necessary, if Vegeta dies now the whole countries morale dies along with him. all the hope of his people will be gone and also she cant bear to lose him, she knows he has never truly belonged to her, wife is just a title, a formality, but the thought of him dying is enough to bring her to tears, she needs Vegeta.

“What are you suggesting Bulma?” Vegeta yells “That I just let him die? That I leave the man I love to be shot by my enemy? You know I can’t do that,” He shouts, his face full of anger and fear, not caring that he just declared his love for Kakarot in front of people, in the busy hallways of his palace where many people could hear him.

“No, I’m not suggesting that, of course I’m not. I just can’t let you walk out of here to certain death, there just needs to be a better way, you need backup, you need someone strong enough to kill Freiza” She thinks for a moment, then her eyes light up like a pinball machine that has just hit the jackpot, how could she not have thought of him straight away

“Take Gohan” She exclaims

“Who?”

“Ajax, Gohan remember, take him with you, you will stand much more chance of bringing Kakarot back if you have Gohan with you, if he managed to save Trunks from an explosion, a flood and countless battles I’m sure he can get you lot safely back here. TAKE GOHAN,” she says very firmly Vegeta can see this is an order not a request

“Fine, I’ll go and get him, we still need to leave quickly” Vegeta agrees, rushing towards the medical bay where he knows Trunks is, Gohan will obviously be there too, he rarely leaves the boys side.

Trunks and Gohan have just finished getting dressed. Trunks can’t stop smiling, he has never felt so happy and so satisfied, Gohan was amazing, everything he had ever dreamed of. He pulls his purple hair into a loose ponytail

“You missed a bit,” Gohan says sweeping a few loose strands of Trunks’ hair up with the rest of it, its such a small gesture but one that totally melts the officers heart, how could a man so huge, so emotionless, made only as a weapon possibly be this kind and gentle

“Thank you,” he ties the band tightly round his hair and finds his helmet “You ready to get back out there Gohan?”

“if you are ready, then I am ready, I would follow you to the ends of the earth”

“ha-ha you soppy thing, ok give me one more kiss before we stop acting like lovesick schoolboys and behave like warriors again,” Trunks asks with a cheeky smile

“how can I say no to that,” Gohan answers leaning down to place a chaste kiss on Trunks’ inviting lips

The door opens, slamming against the wall and Vegeta rushes in, barely even noticing that his son is kissing the machine

“Project Ajax, I need your help, a very important spy has been taken as a POW and I need you to come with me to get him back,” Vegeta explains, a desperate look in his eyes

“um… yes your majesty,” Gohan answers with a neat salute, he is not about to say no to the king, he is programmed to follow orders, unless Trunks tells him otherwise

“What. No way. Gohan stop. We need to get back to our men. We don’t have time for this shit. Why should we help you anyway? Excuse us,” Trunks says in his dads face, pushing past into the corridor, scooping up his jacket as he leaves

“My apologies, your majesty, Officer Trunks’ orders are programmed higher than yours, I must follow him,” Gohan explains to Vegeta with a salute and he leave to follow his lover

“Trunks wait” Vegeta calls. Trunks doesn’t even flinch, he keeps moving towards the large staircase leading to the exit. He never wants to speak to his dad again and he will be damned if he is going to leave his battalion alone for even longer than he must while he helps his father on some fool’s errand. What could this important spy know that was so vital it was worth risking the lives of all his men, nothing that’s what. Trunks stomps down the first few steps

“Trunks……. Freiza has Kakarot,” Vegeta calls in a final attempt to make his son understand why this mission is so important. It is not related to the war, its personal, his voice is close to breaking as he speaks “He plans to shoot him at dawn…. I can’t lose him”

Trunks stops walking. He knows how much Kakarot means to his father, the two have been deeply in love for their whole lives. Trunks remembers when he was younger his father was never with his mother; he was always with Kakarot. As much as Vegeta tries to keep their affair private, everybody in the kingdom knows they are in love. Trunks tries to imagine if Freiza had Gohan, how would he feel, it doesn’t even bare thinking about, the thought alone is too painful to take. There is nothing that would stop him rushing to Freiza’s place to try and get back the man he loves.

“Trunks, I’m sorry for disappointing you, I’m sorry that I got things wrong and if you can never speak to me again, I will understand. But please help me now…… I need to get Kakarot back”

“Got things wrong is an understatement, you have killed millions. But we will help you. I wouldn’t want you to lose someone you love to war like so many of our brave men and women have had to do, I wouldn’t wish that pain anyone, even you. But remember however you are feeling now is nothing compared to the pain that the men on the fields have felt. You have no idea the hell you sent them to, the terror you made them face. I do not hate you, but I can never forgive you,”

“I understand, thank you Trunks, and thank you Gohan, you will be greatly rewarded for this,” Vegeta says sincerely

Trunks turns to Gohan, he will explain later why Kakarot is so important to his father, he doesn’t want to tell him right now and embarrass his dad

“Do you mind helping, before we get back to Allemere?” He asks

“If you don’t mind, I don’t mind,” Gohan answers “sounds as though it will be a pretty straight forward mission”

“How did I know you were going to say that, lets go get Kakarot back,” Trunks smiles.

Vegeta is so happy for the help. He does wonder why Trunks felt the need to ask Gohan’s permission before they left but thought better of asking about it, the last thing he wanted to do right now was upset his son. He hopes deep down that once the war is won Trunks will forgive him, he hopes one day they can speak about everything and Vegeta can at least try to explain his actions, he can try to get Trunks to understand the thousands of catch 22 situations he was faced with. But until then, he was ok with Trunks’ hatred towards him, he totally understood it, sometimes it was a real struggle to not hate himself.  
The four men made their way to the garage where they could get a ride

“Please be careful,” Bulma calls as they leave, she is still apprehensive, but she feels a little easier knowing that Gohan will be with them. She knows he is strong enough to kill the evil ruler if it comes to that, she hopes it doesn’t come that. It’s a terrifying thought for her, but these men don’t look scared at all, so brave.

“Gohan, promise you will look after my boy, don’t let anything happen to him” She says catching Gohan’s arm and turning him to face her “Freiza is the most evil man alive, promise me you wont let him hurt my Trunks, or Vegeta” she begs

“Mrs briefs, I assure you that he would have to kill me before he got anywhere near Trunks, and you made me, so you know how hard it is to kill me. I will protect him with my life, making sure you son is safe is my one reason for existence, he is my whole life and I will never let anyone hurt him. I will bring your boy home, along with your husband, his bodyguard and his boyfriend, I promise you,” Gohan found it funny that Mrs Briefs thought she had to beg him to keep Trunks safe, Trunks is his everything, his whole world, the reason his heart beats. Trunks will always be safe with him no matter what.


	19. Chapter 19

Project Ajax chapter 19

The wire fences stand high in the darkened evening light, surrounding Freiza’s headquarters, attempting to keep it safe from people who wanted to do harm to the evil ruler, people like them. 

“Guards patrol these fences so stay alert,” Nappa informs the other three men with him who cautiously approach the high barriers.

“I found a guard out here when I came earlier, that’s where I got my information about Kakarot from, if we are careful, we should be able to scale the fence and get inside” he says. Gohan looks up at the barbed wire wrapped, 30-foot-high metal fence, he could climb it, but he is almost definite that the other three could not get over this obstacle

“You have misjudged this, general Nappa, Trunks Vegeta and yourself could not climb that fence, it is too high and too sheer” He informs them

“Yes, we can, how the hell do you know what we can and can’t do,” Nappa snaps feeling defensive

“Well, none of you have the strength in your arms to pull yourselves up such a sheer surface and none of you have the coordination to avoid all the barbed wire, also…...”

“That’s enough Gohan,” Trunks cuts him off seeing the angry expression on Nappa’s face intensify with each word. He has gotten used to the fact that Gohan is always right, but it might take someone like Nappa a long time to grow accustomed to.

“Let’s find another way in,” Trunks suggests

“Whatever we do can we do it quickly!!” Vegeta interjects getting more and more worried about Kakarot.

“Permission to make a suggestion your majesty,” Gohan asks, giving a quick salute

“Ok” Vegeta says, glad that someone had an idea 

“this place is far too highly guarded for us to sneak all the way to Kakarot undetected, I suggest we attempt to sneak past the front gates then once inside storm the place, kill any guards that try to stop us, get Kakarot and get out of there as fast as we can, there is far more chance of our mission being successful if we get them with the element of surprise,”. Trunks sees the look of doubt on both his fathers and Nappa’s faces

“It’s best to listen to him father, mum programmed him to be a strategic genius, if he says that’s the best way, then that IS the best way, I have worked with Gohan for long enough now to realise he is always right”

“Very well, thank you proj…. Gohan for the advice, how should we proceed?”. A small smile touched Trunks’ face; he is still annoyed at his father of course but it was nice to see him make an effort. Gohan salutes the king formally, he is pleased his suggestion was taken seriously, even if Trunks did have to verify it

“We need to go the main gate and see what kind of security they have there, once I see that I will form a plan to get past it,”. Gohan then turns to Trunks, gently taking his hand

“Stay close by me at all times ok, I’ll keep you safe I promise,” 

Vegeta is shocked, the machines voice is gentle and full of compassion, he smiles as he speaks to Trunks, a twinkle in his eye that is nothing but human. Maybe he has been wrong to think of Ajax as a weapon, or a machine, maybe he is a lot more human that they originally believed. It just took someone to give him the time of day to notice it, someone like Trunks who treats everyone equal. Vegeta feels a little disappointed in himself, how can he be a king with no compassion? The war and the need to win has somehow clouded his empathy, he sees that now, and he will rectify it, starting with Trunks. But first, he needs his Kakarot back.  
The main entrance has only two guards but also a lot of cameras and surveillance, Gohan knows he could easily take the two guys out, but he would be seen doing it, there was no avoiding that.

“If only I had access to one of their uniforms” Gohan mused more to himself

“I can get a uniform, it probably won’t fit you though, the guard I questioned when I came earlier was wearing one, I killed him and left him in the bushes over there. His uniform will probably fit Trunks or Vegeta, but not a chance of it fitting you or me,” Nappa says eyeing up the huge guy, he thinks they are about the same size.

“That could work. If one of you could wear the uniform and somehow go in and turn off the cameras we could get in,” Gohan says looking at Vegeta

“I can’t go can I. a uniform wouldn’t hide my identity, they would know who I was immediately, and they would tell Freiza I was here” 

“I can go,” Trunks says “No one will recognise me, and I know how to work the controls of a surveillance camera”

“Err…. I’m not sure about sending you in there, what if you get hurt,” Gohan says concern shadowing his face

“oh, for god’s sake, I’m a warrior not a princess, I will be just fine, don’t worry babe,” He tiptoes up and places a kiss on Gohan’s cheek before walking off to find the dead soldier. Trunks feels uncomfortable in his Freiza Force uniform, the black uniform with blood red hat making him feel like a traitor to his own side. He left his regular clothes with Gohan and he walked towards the small building situated at the entrance to Freiza’s place. He can see there are two men inside 

“Hey guys, did you see anything strange around here” He asks entering the building, trying to look confident, as though he was supposed to be there

“I got reports of a man creeping around,” Once both of the guys more across to check out the security footage, neither of them are looking at Trunks, both to busy searching the last few minutes of footage to see if they missed anything. He takes his shot, clumping both of them hard on the back of the head. They are not dead, just unconscious. He locates the button to turn the security cameras off and presses the lever to open the gates. That was easier than he thought.

He quickly glances around the cluttered room, hoping to see a map of the place, letting him know where Kakarot might be being kept but he had no such luck. They would have to just hope they found him quickly before Freiza was alerted to their presence in his home.   
Trunks would be a liar if he said he wasn’t afraid to fight Freiza, he has heard nothing but terrible things about the evil leader. He prayed that they could rescue Kakarot and get out of there before it came to a head on with him, but he very much doubted it. With Gohan at his side though he was sure he would be ready for anything.   
The others soon joined him

“Good work Trunks,” Vegeta says

“we need to move very fast; it will not be long before someone notices that this camera is offline and comes to check it out. Stay close to me Trunks, I will protect you” Gohan says beckoning the others to follow him through the main gate and keeping a firm hold on Trunks’ hand as he walks. Trunks does not need his hand held, he is a soldier, but he knows it makes Gohan feel a little more at ease so he allows it, besides it feels nice and is probably pissing his father off so it’s worth it. The four men run the short way to the large front door

“How will we get in,” Vegeta asks looking at Gohan since he seems to be the one who knows what he is doing the most. 

“Get your guns ready and prepare yourselves,” Was the only answer he gave before letting go of Trunks’ hand and with one big boot sending the whole door flying from its hinges, skidding across the floor or the grand entrance hall

“He aint subtle but I like his style,” Nappa comments before rushing forward ready to shoot anyone he sees. They all move fast. There are a lot of guards here but Gohan was right, none of them were expecting this so they are unprepared and easy to pick off

“Does anyone know where prisoners might be kept,” Vegeta asks feeling more and more desperate to find his love every second.

“Logic says to head down, most people keep prisoners in basements, less likely to escape from a window,” Gohan answers looking for a staircase. He soon finds one. Two guards are running up after hearing the commotion, the look of shock on their faces is priceless as they see the four enemies barrelling towards them, guns raised

“OH MY GOD” one of them shouts before Nappa shoots them both, their shouts and the gun shots will have alerted others, they must find Kakarot quick. The all run down the stairs Gohan in the lead, a few more guards lose their lives before they finally reach an area of the building that looks shabby enough to hold cells or dungeons, whatever Freiza has here

Gohan seems to know where to go somehow, he runs to the end of a long stone corridor and kicks down a strong looking wooden door. Inside are two Guards, he does not even use his gun, one of then he races at grabs his head and snaps his neck in one fluid movement. The second man doesn’t even have time to register what is happening before Gohan is on him, he slams his head into the wall behind him that is leaves a crack in the stone, but the man’s head came off much worse. Gohan lets him fall to the floor in a blooded heap.  
Behind bars chained to the wall is Kakarot

“Kakarot,” Vegeta breathes in a sigh of relief

“Veg, what are you doing here baby, it’s far too dangerous” He scolds. He is pretty beat up and in a bad way but not so much that he can’t walk, he needs a drink more than anything. Gohan pulls the barred door off and Vegeta runs to Kakarot’s side

“I’m so sorry, this shouldn’t have happened” He says as he kisses the wound on his lover’s face

“It’s ok Veg, let’s just go home,”! Kakarot answers as Gohan easily breaks the chains that held him so securely.

“Leaving already” A dark voice rings from behind them, they all turn to see the last person they would ever want to see. Lord Freiza looks in casually from the broken doorway

“And here I thought you were just a simple spy, turns out you are the kings very own bit on the side, I should have killed you immediately,” He smirks

“maybe, maybe not,” Says Vegeta moving to position himself between Freiza and Kakarot “it makes little difference to you Freiza because you will die regardless” Vegeta smiles a wicked little smile as he walks towards his biggest enemy, the man who was a threat not only to him and his family but his whole kingdom. He hasn’t been a fighting man for many years, but he knew he would enjoy slowly beating this evil man to death, he hoped he could do it.

“hahaha oh please Vegeta, you expect to fight me? You are not near strong enough to kill me, why don’t you just surrender now, we could join forces and take over the world” Freiza offered knowing full well that the king of Vegeta would turn down this excellent offer, he was a fool, a fool who was about to die in front of his boyfriend. Freiza hated to admit that he was jealous, but he was, immensely so, he would die before he watched Goku leave with his sworn enemy.

“Id rather die,” Vegeta hisses, venom pouring from his tone as he rushed towards Frieza ready to fight the biggest fight he had ever had.

Their hands locked together as they struggle to overpower the other. Behind Freiza his men started to arrive, summoned by the noise of gunfire, they soon started to fight with Trunks, Gohan and Nappa, Kakarot was too weak to fight. Leaving Vegeta to defeat Freiza alone, no one could step in to help him.  
Despite his best efforts Freiza begins to get the better of him, pushing him back against the cold stone wall, his hands still locked into Vegeta’s until he had him flush against the wall, only then does he pull one hand free and throws a punch at the kings face. He tries to defend but Freiza moves so fast. He feels a second fist connect with his left cheek, a third. The pain gives him a brief moment of adrenaline fuelled strength and he manages to push Freiza hard, diving at him and connecting his own fist with freiza’s face a few times until he is kicked back to his original position against the wall. Their fight gets more vicious, both men feeling how close they are in strength resorting to dirty tactics to better the other. After just five minutes both men are bloodied and battered, their stamina draining fast but neither ready to admit defeat and give in, both have far too much riding on this win. Vegeta’s foot slams into the side of Freiza’s face, causing more blood to spill from his mouth and land in a splatter on the hard floor. The whole area around them is now stained red and they both pant and sweat trying to hurt the other any way they can. Vegeta is pushed to the floor, he struggles but he can feel Freiza’s long fingers tightening around his neck, squeezing hard. He fights to breathe, his fingers clawing at the hands around his neck cutting off his life breath. His lungs burn and they try and fail to fill with air

“Vegeta” Kakarot calls and tries to rush over to save his king but he is easily apprehended by two of Freiza’s men, he tries his best but in his weakened state he just can’t fight them off

“Vegeta” He calls again in absolute desperation, tears falling from his eyes as he watches the life drain from his lovers.

Freiza can see he only has a few moments left. The king will soon be dead, the war won, and he can finally take over Vegeta with barely any resistance, he smiles evilly and leans down to whisper into vegeta’s ear

“I think I’ll fuck him one more time before I kill him” He says and looks over at Kakarot, “His ass is too sweet not too,” He chuckles seeing Vegeta’s eyebrows knot together in both anger and pain. There is nothing Freiza enjoyed more that watching someone die in complete misery, he was enjoying this. A strangled wheezy noise escaped Vegeta’s throat as his life drifted away. Gohan saw what was about to happen and ran towards the king, his boot smashing into Freiza and pushing him off Vegeta who sat up drawing in as much breath as he could, coughing and spluttering, but living. Gohan threw him a gun and continued his fight with Zarbon.

Vegeta knew he couldn’t waste any more time, as much as he would love to have beat Freiza one on one he just wasn’t strong enough, Freiza’s strength is astronomical, he cocked the gun and pointed it right in the middle of Freiza’s head. He pulled the trigger. Once, twice, three times. Freiza’s brains decorated the wall behind him, there was no way he was still alive, Vegeta knew this, anyone who looked at the body on the floor with only half a head left could see he was dead. But just to be on the safe side Vegeta emptied another three chambers into the unmoving corpse.

The shock in the room was palpable. Everyone stopped and stared at the dead leader. What did this mean? Had Vegeta won the war? Should they continue to fight? Nobody knew. They all just stared until Gohan broke the silence

“Let’s go,” He said, taking Trunks’ hand and leading him back up the staircase, checking to make sure Vegeta and the others were following. They only saw four more Guards as they left the way they came. Gohan killed them all, he couldn’t risk any harm coming to Trunks. Everyone seemed a little shell shocked at they made their way back to Vegeta’s headquarters.


	20. Chapter 20

Project Ajax chapter 20

Trunks and Gohan stood side by side along with many other soldiers who were being awarded the kings commendation for bravery, it was a proud moment for both of them, but especially for Gohan. There had been a lot of questions raised about Gohan’s eligibility for such an award. Is it fair to call him brave when his fear had been surgically removed? Was it fair on the real soldiers to award an enhanced soldier the same honour as them? Vegeta had answered these questions. He had personally seen Gohan exhibit fear, just not for himself, thus making him brave. His decision to give Gohan the medal had improved his relationship with Trunks somewhat, they were still not close, but at least Trunks would speak to him.

Vegeta moved slowly down the line, taking his time to speak to all the amazing men in front of him. their stories were heart wrenching, it was clear to see that every one of these soldiers fully deserved the medal they were about to receive.

He had Kakarot at his side, and Nappa close behind him. A medal awarding ceremony was no place for a spy, but no one questioned Kakarot’s presence, he and the king had been basically inseparable since the end of the war. Vegeta was reluctant to let Kakarot out of his sight even for a second after coming so close to losing him. News of Lord Freiza’s death spread quickly through the kingdom, Vegeta was viewed as a hero, his people proud and his army even more determined. Zarbon had took over the Freiza force and he was a bad ruler. He made the mistake of hijacking a few Namekian supply ships thus cementing the alliance between the nameks and the Saiyan’s. Once their armies had joined forces there was no hope for the now basically leaderless Freiza Force.

Trunks and Gohan had been there to see the finish of the tunnels at Allemere, once they managed to get behind enemy lines it was a massacre, the few surviving members of the Freiza Force had no choice but to retreat. A mere three days after Lord Freiza’s death, the Freiza force surrendered and the Saiyan’s won the war.  
People were joyous but still very aware of the huge toll this war had taken on the people of Vegeta, whole cities had been reduced to rubble and would need rebuilding. Families had been torn apart, children left without parents and spouses left without partners. It would take Vegeta a long time to recover from this. But they would do it, they would join together as the amazing nation that they were and rebuild.

Vegeta finally reached Trunks in the line

“I’m proud of you son,” He said as he pinned the medal to his pocket

“Thanks dad,” Trunks answered. There was an awkward silence as neither man knew what to say to the other. Words had never been Vegeta’s strong point, I mean, he could give a speech and strike up momentum and enthusiasm in 10000 people, he could give condolence to a nation that has lost one million men and sound as sincere as anything. But speaking to his own son was different, it was hard.

The silence stretched on

“Oh for gods sake Veg, just tell the guy you love him already, jeez” Kakarot finally helped out rolling his eyes, he could speak about feelings with ease, it had never ben a problem for Kakarot. He was never embarrassed to admit that he loved someone. Vegeta chuckled a little at his lovers exasperated tone

“I love you Trunks, I know I never wanted you to be a soldier but honestly, I don’t think there is anything now that would make me prouder. You are an outstanding officer and it is in part because of you that we are standing here today as the victors. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you” He puts his arms around his son and pulls him close. He has not hugged his son since he was a child. It feels nice, especially when he feels Trunks hug him back

“See that wasn’t so bad now was it, baby,” Kakarot chuckles from behind him

“Thanks dad,” He croaks through tears. It has been a long time since he felt his dad was proud of him, he tried hard to keep his emotions in check, but a tear escaped from his eye. The hug lasted only a few seconds but the feeling behind it will stay with Trunks for quite a while. Acceptance was a great feeling  
Gohan watched Trunks cry as his father hugged him. he tried to put a name to the emotion he could see. was it sadness? He was crying after all. Or was it happiness? He should be feeling happy right? The confusion was apparent on his face when he reached a comforting hand out to take hold of Trunks’

“I’m ok” Trunks assured him when he saw the baffled expression “sometimes people cry when they are happy too” He explains

“Just when I thought I understood,” Gohan says shaking his head. He knows he will never fully understand the emotions that Trunks experiences, them feelings have been, as Trunks puts it “stolen from him” but he will always try his best to understand, to comfort when it is needed and to celebrate when they could. He felt happy when he looked at Trunks, something that should be impossible to him, happiness should not be something he can achieve, but here he is. Trunks has unlocked all manor of feelings inside of him, some he understands, some he does not but he will try, he will play human until it becomes second nature to him. He will strive to be everything that Trunks needs  
Vegeta moves along to give Gohan his medal, his name has now officially been changed to Gohan, he was also offered the chance to see what small information there was on the man he was before but he had declined. There was no reason to know who he was before, he was Gohan now, a name which the man he loved had chosen for him and one he could wear with pride. He saw little need to dwell on his first life

“Thank you Gohan for all you have done to help win this war, thank you for forgiving me and most of all thank you for keeping Trunks safe,” Vegeta said fervently, he had grown to like Gohan, his amazing strength and intellect, his caring side when it came to Trunks and his brutal honesty were all very endearing to Vegeta. He knew one day soon he would be calling this man his son in law, and he was pleased about that, he couldn’t have chosen a better partner for his son. Knowing that one day the two of them would rule over Vegeta side by side made him feel safe, this nation would thrive under their rule

“It has been my pleasure your majesty, thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet such an amazing man” he said and saluted. The medal was pinned neatly onto his uniform, the first he had ever received, it made him feel as though his chest was swelling and a smile pulled at his mouth, 

“How do I feel right now?” he asked Trunks, a question he found himself asking more and more these days

“My chest feels strange and I am smiling” He explains the feeling to help Trunks pinpoint what one it is

“Proud, you feel proud,” Trunks answered

“And rightly so, you are a fine soldier and I can see great things headed your way” Vegeta added. Gohan found he likes the feeling of pride.


End file.
